


Tidings of Comfort and Joy

by VividDayDreamer



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: (Also wine), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Breakfast in Bed, Clan Syndulla, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Don’t copy to another site, Dramatic Ezra, Everyone needs love and support, Ezra uses the force for shenanigans, Ezra's a cool brother, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Ghost family games, Hera misses her mother, Hera's hidden/inner turmoil of acting as a mother, It's cold on Carlac, Kallus doesn't do pillow fights, Kallus falls in love with the dynamic of the Ghost family, Kallus is sentimental, Kallus steps up to protect the family, Kallus wishes his friend had better manners, Kanan's shenanigans, Laughter keeps them warm, Multi, Outdoor winter activities, Parental Hera Syndulla, Parental Kanan Jarrus, Pillow fights run in the family, Sabine and Ezra are much older teens, Sabine's past, Sibling Bonding, Space family, Teasing, Wholesome family morning, With more shenanigans, and still needs her, but Zeb's not fancy, but are still kids, but hot cocoa helps, kanera - Freeform, lots of banter, lots of laughter, self doubt, with a bit of Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-23 15:30:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17082950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VividDayDreamer/pseuds/VividDayDreamer
Summary: Happy Holidays!  Here's my attempt at giving feels for this time of year.I'll be posting one chapter per dayuntil Christmas:)Story Background:The Rebel crew has taken into hiding, temporarily, due to the heat caused by several scuffles with the Empire on Lothal.  A mutual friend has directed them to the quiet, but frigid, planet of Carlac, located in the outer rim.  Stuck with nothing much to do, the Ghost crew find moments that keep them warm.





	1. The Drama King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra and Sabine's moment.

"Hera, why did we have to come here? Of all places?" Ezra questioned in vain as he shuddered into the cockpit.

"Because, Ezra, we need to lay low for a while, and this was the best option we had," she responded.

"The best option we had?!" he says with exasperation. "I'm sure there were much warmer planets out there that we could be on, instead of this ice ball."

"Ezra, cool it," smirked Kanan.

"Ha ha, funny," he said as he glared back at his master.

"Ezra, it's only for a little while...hopefully. We didn't have time to find a better place to jump. We had to get away quickly, and luckily our contact gave us this place to go to."

"Ugh, but it's sooo cold," he whined.

"Hey fam!" Sabine walked in cheerily and slapped Ezra on the back.

"Ow! Geez Bine."

"What? Don't tell me you're soft. That was barely a slap."

"Pffft. Says you," he mumbled.

Sabine arched her brow up to him and crossed her arms. "What's got your boxers in a twist?"

Ezra squinted his eyes and glared.

"Uh....okay...," she responded with confusion.

"Ezra's cold," Kanan finally answered with a bit of taunting in his voice.

"What is so wrong with wanting a warmer planet to hide on, huh? Is that too much to ask?" the boy complained. "Aren't you all cold too? Doesn't a nice sunny and warm planet sound better?" he rambled on.

"Ezra, you've been with us how long now? You know just as well as we do, that nothing ever goes as planned and we just have to go with it, and right now, _it_ , is here," the older Jedi responded.

Ezra just stood there, bracing himself against the cold, still upset at the predicament. His frustration seemed to be the only thing keeping him from completely freezing over. Sure, he understood perfectly well _why_ they came there, but he still didn't like it. Maybe he would've been slightly more amicable to the idea, had he not gone the past few days without sleep, on top of the physically exhausting confrontations they've had with the Imps during their last mission. The one that brought them to Carlac.

"Ezra, we'll be on this planet for a while. I'm sorry, but that's the plan," Hera commented. "Go grab some of the extra blankets in the closet and stay warm. You probably could use some rest too," she mothered, knowing that the boy hasn't been sleeping well the past few nights.

The boy shook his head, then responded, "Fine." 

He then looked up at the three of them, "You guys really aren't cold?" he asked with disbelief at their reluctance to go some place warmer.

"Nope," Kanan responded. "Yea, it's a bit chillier than I'd like, but it's fine. We've definitely traveled to colder places. Right, Hera?" he asked, turning to her.

Hera pursed her lips and nodded.

"Colder than here? Where? Wait, you know what, don't tell me. Just don't make us go there. Ever, " he said in defeat. He then looked over to Sabine. "You?"

"Ez. I grew up on an ice ball, just like this one. I'm used to it," she paused. "Actually, it's kind of nice here. I kinda like it," she shrugged.

"Ugh, I can't win with you people. If you need me, I'll be curled up in a corner somewhere, trying not to die from hypothermia," he dramatized, trudging past Sabine, and out of the cockpit.

"That went well," Kanan joked, causing both Sabine and Hera to roll their eyes.

* * *

It was many hours later, when Sabine had wondered into Ezra's room, concerned that she hadn't heard a peep from him in quite a while, considering his last tantrum.

"Hey, Ez?"

The room was dim, and Sabine could barely make out the mound of blankets piled up on the top bunk. She tapped the control switch to light up the room just a tad, then climbed up into the boy's bunk. She started tearing away at some of the layers at one corner, which she assumed his head was under.

"Ez. Hey Ez," she called out quietly, still ruffling through the wool-like sheets to get to him, until she saw that blueberry head of his. 

She chuckled quietly. "How in the galaxy are you even breathing under all that?"

She nudged his shoulder, or where she assumed his shoulder would be. The mound of fabric made it difficult to know. 

"Ez. Ezra," she nudged again. She felt bad for waking him, but she was concerned and wanted to make sure that he was okay, and not in a coma. She knew he was being overly dramatic about the whole thing, but wanted to be certain. Just in case.

"Hey kid," she said, as she laid her hand on his head and ruffled at his hair gently, earning her a grumbling noise from the boy. 

"Mrmmmmrhhhmm," he uttered, as he turned his head, finding comfort in the warmth that came from Sabine's hand.

He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted. "Bine?" he questioned hoarsely.

"Yep, it's me kid. Wanted to see how you were holding up, and making sure you didn't die of hypothermia," she said as she rolled her eyes.

Ezra gave out a weak chuckle, "Yea, I guess I was overreacting," he smiled as he slowly fought under the covers to sit up.

"Overreacted is an understatement," she said with an arched brow and a smirk. "Your dramatic performance about earned you an intergalactic nomination to the Awards," she chuckled.

Ezra smiled and gave a small laugh, then rubbed the back of his head at embarrassment. "Yea...sorry about that. Guess the lack of sleep was getting to me."

"I'd say. You reminded me of your fourteen year old self again," she laughed.

"Ha ha ha," he said, then paused, realizing that he probably did. He shook his head then looked at Sabine who sat at the edge of his bunk, dangling her legs below. 

"So...you really woke me up to poke fun at me? Cause, if that's the case, Hera will probably get on your case about it, being that she's been nagging me to get some rest."

"What? You gonna tattle on me as well, little brother?" she joked. "Maybe you aren't so grown up as you claim to be," she winked, then chuckled a bit more.

While lost in her giggles, she failed to notice Ezra arming himself with his pillow, catching her off-guard as he whacked her in the face with it.

"Oh, you so didn't just do that," she immediately perked up.

"Oh, I so did," he smirked back.

Sabine quickly gunned for his pillow, grabbing at the edge as both she and Ezra fought for control. They both tried to fight the other off, as they laughed uncontrollably. The door slid open, as Hera and Kanan stepped forward, with both unaware of their entry.

"Ahem!" coughed the Jedi.

Both kids stopped, each still holding tight to a portion of the pillow, shocked to see them both in the room. Sabine quickly took the opportunity while Ezra was off-guard, and shoved the pillow back at him, causing him to tumble back a bit, as she smirked.

"Well, at least you two weren't fighting. In the normal sense of the word, that is," Kanan started as he stared at the two youths. "In the hallway, we couldn't tell what was happening in here."

Ezra and Sabine chuckled a bit.

"Sorry, Kanan," the girl said, only somewhat apologetically.

"Yea, it's Sabine's fault anyway," Ezra added.

Sabine shot him a devious glare and was about to do...something, when Hera spoke up.

"Sabine. I thought Zeb told me that Ezra was asleep."

"Uh...yea, he was..."

"Did you wake him?"

Ezra kicked gently at Sabine's side, giving her a look of, "I told you so." 

Sabine just shot him a quick glare, then turned back to Hera to explain.

"I...I was just checking on him. I hadn't heard from him in hours, and wanted to make sure he was okay."

Hera crossed her arms and looked at the girl skeptically, noting at a bit of disbelief and a bit of annoyance. Sabine read well into what the Twi'lek was thinking.

"No, really Hera. I swear." She tried frantically to enforce her explanation, hoping that the captain would acknowledge it, so that it wouldn't give her any reason to tack on any more chores to her ever growing list.

Hera only responded with, "Mhmmm. You know he needs the rest, Sabine."

"I know. I know. I was really just checking in on him though. Promise."

"Okay," Hera said, giving her the benefit of the doubt. The tension on her shoulders loosened up a bit, as she accepted the girl's explanation. "Make sure he gets back to bed then," she said as she turned towards the door.

"Will do, mom," she grinned.

Hera stopped in the doorway, looked back at the two and smiled before leaving. Now, with the older adults gone, the two started conversing again.

"Told you she'd get on you," Ezra jabbed.

"Yea, clearly," she said, whacking at the blanket where his leg that kicked her was.

"Alright, let's get to it then," she said, hopping down from the bunk.

"Get to what?"

"Come on down here and I'll show you."

Although no longer overly frustrated at the cold, he still felt the chill in his bones. He climbed down slowly, grasping onto his blankets around him. He dragged the edges along the floor as he walked over to Sabine. Turning around, she laughed.

"You look like a Wookie," she chuckled, seeing Ezra wrapped up in the thick brown covering which had also covered his head.

"Yea, well, I'm freezing."

Sabine smirked. "Here, drink this."

"What's this?" he asked, grabbing the hot mug.

"Hot cocoa. Come on," she said, slumping down to the ground, leaning up her back against the wall.

Ezra sat down on the floor beside her.

"Hot cocoa? I didn't know we had hot cocoa. I totally would've made myself a cup hours ago if I had!"

"Heh, you probably didn't see it. It's kept in a blue can, in the pantry."

"Blue can...," he pondered. "Oh! That blue can with that weird language on it."

"Mando'a Ezra. It's written in Mando'a."

"Ohhh. Guess I've never seen it written before."

Sabine rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, thought you needed something to warm you up. I've constantly kept this in stock when I could find it..." she trailed off.

Ezra took a sip out of the mug. 

"Whoa, this is pretty good. It still tastes like the hot cocoa that I know of, but there's a hint of something else..."

"A bit of spice from back home," she sighed, as shook out of it, but not without Ezra noticing.

"You still miss your home too, don't you? Even after all these years."

"Yea, well, having the idea of your own family...the one stable thing you thought you had...suddenly ripped from you..."

Seeing Sabine still struggle with her family's unforgiving actions, Ezra laid his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Bine. We don't have to talk about it any more. I understand."

His words made her smile. 

"I know you do," she said, taking a sip from her mug. "This drink...my dad used to make it for Tristen and I after some really cold days. It...it's comforting. It always reminds me of that feeling you get with family, with the people you love."

Ezra smiled, then gripped at Sabine's shoulder lightly, before letting go.

She looked over to him.

"You're my family now Ezra. You, Hera, Kanan, Zeb, Chopper, Ahsoka, hell even Kallus, has become my family," she smiled. "So, cheers," she said, lifting her mug to his, which he happily acknowledged.

"Mhmm...tastes even better now. Looks like your hot cocoa has more than one way of warming someone up," he winked, then smiled with an exaggerated grin, happily thinking that it was moments like these, that helped him realize that they really are a family.


	2. The Romantic Joker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hera and Kanan's moment.

It was late one evening, and Kanan just finished up showering and slipping into a pair of loose sweatpants and a tshirt. He made his way into Hera's room and found her already in bed, captivated by whatever it was she was reading on her holopad.

"Anything good?" he asked as he shut the door.

"Just trying to find out more about this planet, its locals and resources. The usual," she answered, not even looking up at him.

"Anything good?" he asked once more, repeatedly using the same words, as he tried to bring some humor into the conversation.

Hera looked up at him, arched her brow and gave him a smirk.

"Well? I'm seriously just asking," he said as he smiled and worked himself under the covers to come close to her.

"Uh huh," she responded, then turned back to her holopad. "There's a village not too far from here where...AGH, KANAN!" she yelled.

"What?" he asked as he tried to hide his grin, but failed.

"You know exactly what, Kanan!"

Hera's face grew stern, as Kanan's did quite the opposite, before he let out a gruff laugh.

"Sorry. I had to. It's been a while," he snickered under his breath.

"Yea, well it'll be an even longer time before I let you back into my bed if you keep that up," she said angrily.

"Oh come on, don't be like that. You'd miss me. Admit it," he said confidently, as moved in closer to her and tried to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

Hera glared at him. 

"Maybe, maybe not," she said matter-of-factly, as she dismissed his act of affection and pulled his arm off her.

Kanan, feigning shock, dropped his jaw open before responding. 

"Hera. I'm hurt. After all these years, you're saying that you'd stop loving me over _that_?"

Hera looked at him, unamused by his dramatic flare, though not as angry as she had been.

"You're starting to sound like Ezra, dear."

Kanan straightened up and laughed a bit at the remark, recalling the boy's overly dramatic reaction to being on Carlac.

"For the record though," she started, "First off, I never said I'd stop loving you, and secondly," she turned to look at him, "Putting your kriffing cold feet on me warrants banishment!" she said sternly.

Kanan let out a small laugh under his breath. "Fine, fine. I won't do it again," he said reluctantly.

"Good," she said as she picked up her holopad once more.

"Tonight," he mumbled out loud, then smirked as he turned to see her reaction.

Hera slowly put her holopad on her nightstand, then turned to him.

"Kanan Jarrus. You try that with me one more time and I'll..."

"You'll what, love?" he said, giving her the most amused, but loving look.

Unable to take his mocking remarks, she went for a way to wipe that smirk on his face. In a reactionary moment, she grabbed her pillow and shoved it at his face and pushed him over. She mounted him and continued to push the pillow onto his face as he tried to fight her off, before shouting something loud under the cotton sack that Hera could only hear as muffles. She let loose of the pressure, but didn't remove her grasp on the pillow entirely.

"Okay!" he gasped. "Okay!"

Kanan waved his arms in surrender from underneath her.

"Really?" she said skeptically.

"I swear on the force," he breathed heavily. "Just...don't try to kill me any more," he huffed. "Now I see where Sabine gets her pillow violence from."

Hera had almost stopped, if it wasn't for his last comment. Once more, she resumed and tried to playfully suffocate him, earning another set of muffles from under it. Once more, she let go a bit.

"OKAY! OKAY! I'm done!" he gasped once more, as he laughed.

"And if I let go and you try your antics on me one more time, either tonight or any other while we're on this planet..."

"Then you have every right to give me any chore or task you want," he negotiated.

Removing the pillow completely, she threw it aside then laid her hands against his shoulders, using her body weight pin him down.

"Love, I think you already forgot that I've always had that right, as captain. That isn't much of a bargaining chip."

"I know," he said before taking hold of her wrists and pulling them aside, causing her to tumble forward onto him, allowing him to kiss her.

After a moment, she pulled away.

"Don't think that got you out of trouble," she smiled.

"I wouldn't dream of it." 

He looked up into her bright green eyes and smiled lovingly at her, causing her to blush a darker shade of green, as she straightened up, but still comfortably sat atop of him.

"Okay, truce. I promise. Instead, how about I just wrap myself around you quietly for the rest of the evening."

Whether or not he was telling the truth about stopping, Hera wasn't sure, but the idea he presented to her was appealing, considering how much colder that night felt in comparison to the past others.

"Deal. But don't test me Kanan," she finally responded, shifting off of him and moving back to her side of the bed.

"I wouldn't dare," he said, following suit and doing as he had promised.


	3. The Unrefined Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeb and Kallus' moment.

Zeb and Kallus were hunched over the dejarik table. Both were concentrated, intensely. They've been at it for well over two hours, being kept company by two empty bottles of wine.

"Your move, Kallus," Zeb chuckled confidently.

"You know, with the way you handle yourself in a fight, I would've thought you'd be a better adversary at dejarik," he said smugly, as he moved his monster, eliminating Zeb's.

"No!" he growled. "That wasn't how it was supposed to go down," he said angrily, as he slammed his fists down on the table.

Kallus chuckled. "Alright, calm down Zeb, we don't want to wake the others."

"Bah!" he grumbled, plopping back down on the bench, furrowing his brow at the table, as if it had greatly offended him.

Kallus chuckled once more, "Here, you look like you could use another drink."

He passed the Lasat an unopened bottle of wine.

"Where exactly are you stashing all these? Hera hardly lets us keep this much alcohol aboard the Ghost," he asked curiously, as he anxiously worked to pop the cork off.

"That, my friend, is the secret," he leaned back comfortably in his seat. "I'm still just a guest here and haven't really made myself 'at home' so to speak, so I still keep everything I own stashed away in my crate, with the more...important items stowed in this bag," he smirked, lifting his hand to show a dark green, canvas satchel that he kept by his side. 

"Hera wouldn't go through our personal items," he continued to smirk confidently.

"Luckily, you've earned that right from her, " Zeb grinned, as he took a drink from the bottle.

"Zeb, come on," Kallus scolded, as he grabbed the bottle away from the Lasat. "Would it kill you to use a glass?"

The former ISB agent shook his head and poured the contents of the bottle into two adjacent glasses.

"I don't do glasses. They just feel so...small in my hands. I feel like I'm gonna break'em every time I try to pick them up," his face contorted as he attempted to take hold of the fragile item without breaking it.

Kallus laughed once more. "I'm sure they do, but attempting a show of manners can't hurt," he added, raising his glass towards the Lasat for a toast.

"Manners, eh," he scoffed, toasting his friend's glass, which he then proceeded to drink and swallow in one large gulp, earning him a raised brow and chuckle from his companion.

"Well, I guess that's something to work on," he laughed.

"There's no point Kallus. Give me the damn bottle," he said in a gruff manner.

Knowing he wasn't going to win this battle, he reluctantly passed his friend the bottle, which the Lasat happily took and drank several gulps out of.

"They need to make these bottles bigger," Zeb complained, as he nearly finished it.

"No, you just need to drink less," Kallus retorted.

"Maybe, if you brought stronger stuff with you," he nudged to his friend.

"Perhaps next time, you could provide the refreshments. We're barely three days onto this planet, and you've nearly wiped out my reserves."

"Heh, fair point. Sorry. I'll buy the next round of supplies the next time we're in town," Zeb said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Which I hear is tomorrow, from what I understand."

"Yea, Hera said she found a suitable village not too far from here. They might have what we'll need there."

"I'm, fine with most liquors. You're the one that seems to be picky," he jabbed.

"Not picky. I just like'm strong," he laughed, as he threw a small bench cushion at his friend, earning him a sideways glare.

"Apparently..." he shrugged, tossing the pillow aside. 

Zeb just shrugged. 

"Helps keep me warm too. I may not look like it, but I can still freeze on this ice ball."

"Heh, don't let Ezra hear you. I hear he had quite the tantrum when we first landed here."

"That kid," the Lasat said, shaking his head. "If I were there, I'da given'em something to whine about," he laughed.

Kallus rolled his eyes.

"Ah, lighten up Kallus. Force, you're still so uptight. Here, drink some more," Zeb offered, as he poured more wine into Kallus' glass.

"Years of service to the Empire tends to do that to you."

"Yea, couldn't imagine having to work with people who'll just stab you in the back when you're not lookin'."

"I never thought that day would come...for me."

"Yea, well, you never gave them a reason to before. You were sorely being a pain in our ass for quite some time."

"Ha. It still amazes me how your...this cell has survived for so long. The Ghost crew is especially something. You all defy the odds. It's....astounding sometimes."

"Heh, go on," the Lasat said, leaning back with his hands behind his head, basking in the compliment.

Kallus just raised his brow at him, before taking another sip of his drink.

"Heh heh. Ehh, can't blame you though. I never thought we could've accomplished most of what we've done if it wasn't for this group."

"Indeed."

"And now you're part of it," Zeb said happily, as he slapped Kallus hard on the shoulder, nearly toppling his glass.

"Seems that way," he started to say, before he bent over to his side and dug into his bag, as he pulled out a glowing, yellow orb. 

"To think. It all started with this," he said, as he placed the item down onto the table in front of them.

"I can't believe you still have that thing. And, to be fair, I think it all started with you trying to kill me."

"Hah, I'd say the same went for you, friend."

Kallus raised his glass up to Zeb, and Zeb acknowledged, smirking and toasting with his bottle.

"You know, I keep very few sentimental items. This one marked a new start for me."

The Lasat grunted, then picked up the item, which he palmed easily in his large hand.

"Heh, still warm too. Whaddya know."

Zeb stared at the glowing orb. Warmth. Its physical properties generated more than that, in the literal sense. He looked up over to Kallus who was now intently staring into his glass, swirling about its contents, looking as if he was in deep contemplation. All of a sudden, Zeb threw his arm around the former ISB agent, catching him by surprise.

"Good to know that a piece of glowing rock was all it took for you to switch sides," Zeb joked. "Welcome aboard, mate. Glad to have ya."


	4. An Outsider Looking In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kallus' bears witness to the other side of the Ghost crew.

It was another cold morning. Hera, Kanan and Kallus were up as usual. The rest, remained fast asleep, and did so for quite a good portion of the morning, since they've landed on Carlac, and unless there was something requiring any sort of urgency, which there hasn't been, Hera let them be. The three have come to enjoy these countless hours of peace. At times, they had wondered off doing their own thing: Hera at the helm, working on any repairs or tweaks, Kanan, meditating outside, to connect with his surroundings, and Kallus, reading up on tactical information that he found interesting on the holonet that day. Generally though, the three found themselves conversing around a cup of caf.

“I’d hate to say it, but, I'm really starting to like these quiet mornings. I could get used to this for a change,” Kanan commented, as he sat back in the booth, caf in one hand, and Hera around this opposing arm.

“I agree. It's been nice to have some time, without worry from the Empire,” added Kallus.

Hera nodded with their observations.

“Don't get used to it boys. There's still an Empire out there to fight, and we can't let our guard down.”

“Yea, but I'll take this for as long as we can get it. No kids, no squabbling, no urgency from Sato, no Imps barrelling down at us,” he sighed deeply. “I feel like I can't even remember a time like this.”

Hera smiled and leaned back into Kanan's chest. “I agree. It's practically been a blessing in disguise.”

“So then, what's the plan today, captain?” Kanan joked.

“Well, as much as I'd love for us to stay in and lounge for another day, I think we should head into one of the villages here. For one, I feel that we all need to go out and stretch our legs, two, we're going to need supplies shortly, and three, Zeb and Ezra may not be at peace with each other much longer if they don't get some space between them,” she paused then looked up to Kallus, “which has been a shock they've lasted this long without a major squabble. I'm sure we have you to thank, Alexsandr.”

Kallus nearly coughed up, choking, as he lost control of the caf that had made its way down the wrong pipe. He never expected anyone to call him by his first name until much much later, and expected that at least, it would have been Zeb to break that in. This, took him very much by surprise, causing him to lose his composure. Kanan just laughed at his reaction, knowing full well that it was due to Hera's uncanny ability to claim control over someone in a conversation, with the sheer mention of their name.

Blinking his eyes and clearing his throat, he pounded at his chest to regain control over himself.

“Um….thank you, Captain.”

“Please, you’re part of this crew now. Formalities are no longer required. This isn't the Empire, and although I do command this ship, everyone here is treated equally. Call me Hera,” she said smiling to him, as she took another sip of caf.

Kanan, amused by Kallus' reaction to the casual nature of it all, chimed in to lighten up the mood.

“Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure the only one who'll feel comfortable enough to call you by your first name, for the near future, is Hera. And, if you do anything wrong…”

“She'll bite your head off. And call you by your full name,” a voice said wearily.

All three turned to see Sabine half awake, trudging along in their direction. She slipped into the booth next to Hera, making herself comfortable as she curled up right next to her. Hera smiled and put her arm around the girl and stroked her hair.

“Morning, sleepy head,” Kanan greeted.

“Mmmmm…..morning.”

Kallus chuckled quietly at the sight, but not discretely enough.

Sabine, eyes still shut, and head resting on Hera's shoulder, still managed to respond and keep a hold onto the conversation.

“You can laugh, but it's true,” said started then continued yawning and speaking slow in intervals, fighting off her weariness.

“You’ve….seen her pissed,” she yawns, “probably pointing a blaster at you…,” she paused briefly, “but having her scold you,” she yawned again, “makes you sometimes wish you had gotten shot instead.”

Kanan chucked at the girl's explanation, then added, “She's right. It'd make the whole ordeal quicker, and probably less painful. Plus, you can fix it quick with a bacta patch,” he laughed, earning him a slap on the leg by the woman beside him.

Sabine mumbled, “Exactly…”

Hera, still running her fingers around the girl's hair, stopped and pulled her head closer to kiss the top of it. She, like Ezra, and Kanan even, can be a pain here and there, but she loved them all the same.

“Sabine, love, I know you mean well, but it's not nice calling me out like that,” she half joked.

Sabine let out a quiet chuckle, then shifted and wrapped her arm around Hera and leaned into her chest, “Sorry mom.”

Hera just shook her head and smiled, and after a short while, they heard soft sleeping noses come from the girl.

Kallus chuckled once more.

“Sabine's losing the effect with her tired expression. Hera is a force to reckon with,” the Jedi continued, with Hera happily slapping him on the leg once more with her free hand.

“I'm sure she is, and I mean that with respect, Captain, but, no, it's not that exactly,” Kallus smiled, “It’s like I was telling Zeb the other day. Your crew amazes me. Seeing her the way she is now,” he said, as he nodded his head towards Sabine, who looked like a child without her armor. “It’s almost impossible to see her as that tenacious Mandalorian who had a hand in foiling my…the Empire’s plans time and time again.”

Still smiling, Kallus looked down and shook his head, almost in disbelief.

Hera continued holding Sabine’s head against her chest and smiled back at Kallus in acknowledgement.

Even watching Hera act so motherly seemed so out of character, for who Kallus thought her to be. It all amused him greatly. Oddly enough though, there was some comfort to seeing the other side of this well-renowned rebel crew.

“I can understand. It’s amazing to see how valuable both she and Ezra are to our missions. They hold their own and contribute just as much as any adult would,” Kanan added.

“Children of war. They grow up faster than they should,” Hera commented, reflecting on her own experience.

She then looked over to Kanan, who immediately knew that she referred to them both as well.

“But,” she added, caressing Sabine’s head. “In these rare moments, when the can finally be allowed to let their defenses down, you remember that they are still children in their own right.”

Kallus nodded. He knew full well what being thrown into the throngs of war can do to someone so young, who desperately fought to survive in it.

Timing it right, Kanan waited until Kallus started sipping on his caf before he spoke.

“Don’t worry, Kallus. You’re part of this family now. Give it time. I’m sure one of the kids will start calling you uncle soon,” he laughed, as Kallus once more had his caf hit the wrong side of his pipes. He turned his head away from the table as he coughed uncontrollably.

  


* * *

Later on that afternoon, the same four were found lounging about in the common area. 

Kanan and Kallus had spent the past hour or so playing sabbac, which they found entertaining as they realized that they were both about on par with each other, and were determined to find a way to beat the other by a large margin.

Sabine was sitting by the side table, watching the two men duel it out over cards, as she tried to capture the essence of it all on her sketchpad.

Hera sat on the lounger, reading from her holopad and sipping yet another cup of caf.

"Looks like I win this round too," Kallus grinned as he laid out his hand on the table.

"Damnit! I thought I had you!'

"I would've too. You know, considering that you're a Jedi who could probably win hands down if you had used some form of mind control, I appreciate that you haven't cheated."

"I might just if this keeps up."

"Another round?"

"I need a break," Kanan said tossing the cards aside. "Hera, shouldn't we wake those two up yet? At this rate, we'll never make it into town and back before nightfall."

Hera had contemplated this exact scenario the day before, so she wasn't thrown off in her decision.

"I figured that may happen. Those two need the rest though. We'll just head out tomorrow."

"Well, in that case, if we're stuck indoors, I'm grabbing a beer. Kallus?"

"Appreciate it."

"Toss one my way too."

"Sabine. No."

"Hera," she whined, "Come on. I'm old enough and we don't have anywhere to be. I'll be fine."

"My ship, my rules young lady."

"Kanan?"

"Sorry kid. Boss says no. Here," he said, tossing her a small bottle.

"Jogan juice. Thanks," she said sarcastically. "Let's see how much of a buzz I can get from this," she said, rolling her eyes.

Kallus chuckled as he popped open the can he was handed. Just then, their serene environment was disrupted by a loud thud, followed by yelling.

"Zeb, stop! No! I called dibs!"

"Too bad kid, you snooze, you lose."

"I didn't snooze! You pushed me!"

"You were snoozing. On the floor. Heh heh."

In that instant, they saw Zeb run for the fresher, with Ezra tailing quickly after, but didn't get to him before the door slid shut.

"Zeb! You overgrown furball! I called for it first!"

"Too late kid. I'm in here and I'm not coming out until I'm done."

"Ughh, you suck!" he shouted, as he kicked at the door several times, then gave up as he heard the shower start up.

He stomped over into the common area and straight into the galley without acknowledging anyone, since he was currently occupied with his annoyance over Zeb. He emerged a while later with a large bowl of cereal, plopped down next to Kanan, and started eating.

Kanan shifted in the booth to give him more room.

"Afternoon kiddo," he said to him as he ruffled his blue hair.

"Mrning dad," he mumbled in frustration.

Kallus chuckled, catching Ezra's attention. The boy froze momentarily, completely forgetting that Kallus was now part of their crew. To his credit, Kallus had only officially joined the Ghost crew as of their latest mission, and prior to, was stationed at the Rebel Command, assisting them from time to time on particular missions.

Kallus noticed the boy's stare and greeted him. "Afternoon, Ezra."

The boy chewed and swallowed what he had in his mouth and straightened up. He didn't mind Kallus onboard, but, anytime he was around, Ezra definitely tried to act more mature in front of him, as if he had something to prove, much unlike Sabine's openly candid attitude of not caring what Kallus thought of her. Perhaps the difference between the two siblings was something as simple as confidence. However, as he sat there, looking unkempt from just waking, hair being ruffled by Kanan, and eating a large bowl of artificial, brightly colored cereal, he realized that he failed.

Looking back down at his bowl, he let out a sigh then responded, "Hey Kallus."

Little did Ezra know that Kallus had already been well aware of the youth's child-like side, mostly due to numerous stories, and complaints, from Zeb. The little fiasco of fighting over the refresher was the first real life example of truth behind those stories. He let out a small smile, thinking that even Ezra, had a side unlike that he once knew. Kallus was now really seeing the Ghost crew, as how they are, the face behind the rebel, and loved it. It was a breath of fresh air. Everything about it felt so real. Something he never really had.


	5. The Keeper of Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family moment with the Ghost crew.

It was well into the evening, and the crew had finished dinner early, left with enough time to spare to do more of nothing. Ezra figured it'd be nice to have some real family time. Though they've been on the icy planet for about three days now, they haven't really done anything, together. He looked around, then saw Kallus helping to put dinner away, realizing then and there that the former ISB agent really is going to be part of the crew now and that he wasn't just temporarily assisting them with just another mission. He was part of their family.

Putting any reservations aside, Ezra suggested that they all watch a holovid together.

"Sounds like a great idea, Ezra," Hera commented.

"I think an action flick would work for this group," Sabine chimed in.

"You would say that, wouldn't you?"

"Duh. What would you choose Ez? A romcom?" Sabine joked.

"No! I'd choose something...maybe just a com!" he snapped back.

"Uh...what's a romcom?" Zeb asked.

"Romantic comedy," Hera answered.

The Lasat gave out a hearty laugh. "He would choose that," he taunted.

"No! I wouldn't!" Ezra shouted.

"Okay, okay, calm down kids," Kanan stood, trying to take control of the situation. It was times like this where he believed that no matter how old they were, they'd always still be kids.

"I have an idea," the Jedi started. "Let's play 'Guess that Rebel,' to decide who gets to pick the movie."

Sabine shouted an excited, "Yes!"

"Guess that Rebel?" Kallus whispered to Zeb.

"Arg. Yea, it's a stupid game Kanan came up with when it came down to decision making for the family."

"I heard that Zeb. It's not stupid. It's fun. Not to mention, it's a good way for us to keep learning about each other, don't you think?"

"Uh huh..."

Recalling the outcome of the last game, Ezra started laughing hard enough to the point that tears started forming. "You're only upset because the last time, we found out about your Wookie girlfriend!"

"Oh force! That's right!" Sabine exclaimed, as she joined in on the laughter.

"She wasn't my girlfriend!" Zeb shouted in defense.

"Uh huh. Maybe you should star in your own romcom," Ezra taunted.

Zeb exclaimed in annoyance, causing the other adults in the room to chuckle under their breath at the reminder.

"You? Garazeb Orrelios. You dated a Wooke?" Kallus asked in disbelief, trying not to break out in laughter at the idea.

"Don't you start with me," the Lasat growled.

"Oh, I think this is a story worth hearing," he answered back.

"Kallus!....," Ezra continued laughing, as he rolled on the floor, out of breath. "You....you have to hear it...he....the girl...and she..she called him a hunk with fur. Ahahahahahaha."

Zeb growled louder, then grabbed Ezra by the collar of his shirt and picked him up. 

"You keep talking punk, and you'll have a reason to have tears in your eyes."

"Zeb! Put him down! You know my rules about violence on this ship!" Hera scolded.

With disgust and frustration, he lowered the boy to the ground. By dropping him. Hard.

"Garazeb Orrelios!" she shouted.

Kallus' eyes perked up as he saw the captain start to reprimand the much older Lasat for his actions. He took note of how quickly the steam from Zeb extinguished, and how he was now trying to put up a defense, yet unable to put out a full sentence to Hera, without stuttering, to back-up his behavior. At the end, Zeb was the one who had apologized, and sulked back to his seat, still frustrated at the whole ordeal.

"Force. It's like a circus in here. Can we get started already?" the Jedi pleaded.

"Please," Hera said in exasperation.

"Okay, Kallus, since you're new to this, let me explain. It's an easy game. Chopper here, has been obtaining information about everyone of us on this ship, since day one. Some, he somehow obtained on his own, and some were provided by each of us. Willingly. Every now and then, there'd be a request to 'update your bio' to Chop, and you have to give him one truth about yourself. All this, he's collected over time."

Chopper then rolled over to him and handed him a datapad.

"Chop needs you to give him a few bits of info, he says."

"Um..." Kallus responded in confusion and hesitation.

"Only what you're comfortable with," Sabine added.

Somehow, her comment reassured him, and he nodded in compliance.

"Now, while you do that, I'll explain the rest," the Jedi continued. "Chop is the one in charge. He pulls out a number of facts from his database. The number of facts and the persons targeted, are all up to him. He reads each fact out loud, and we have to give our answer as to who we think that fact represents. We punch that answer in on our datapad. Our entry is immediately confirmed or denied as soon as we send in our answer. You get a point for each correct one. Whoever gets the highest score, wins."

Kallus finished up his entries and gave it back to the droid, who assimilated that information into his memory bank, then gave the blank datapad back to him.

"Aren't there ever ties?" Kallus asked.

"Yes, but we'll go over that set of rules if it comes down to it," Kanan answered.

"Oooo, but the best part is when the game is over, and Chop has to reveal the answers," Ezra commented.

"Hah, yea. That's when the fun starts," Sabine added.

Chopper warbled some beeps and hums and instructed that he'd picked out the facts that they were to play with. At that point, everyone picked up a datapad and sat in a circular fashion around the droid.

"Kay Chop. Looks like everyone's ready. Start it up," Kanan instructed.

With a mischievious laugh, Chopper happily obliged.

[Questions translated from binary to basic]

_Question 1: "The first plane I piloted crashed into an empty field. I didn't care, since it was stolen."_

_Question 2: "I was found highly intoxicated one night, after losing an entire month's worth of credits in a game of sabacc."_

_Question 3: "When I first met her, the Twi'lek stole my heart."_

_Question 4: "I'm much older than I look."_

_Question 5: "When I was a cadet, I had a crush on this boy that I had become close with."_

_Question 6: "I used to flirt with personnel workers to get my way."_

Everyone punched in their guesses, as Chopper waited to receive everyone's answers. After a moment, he made the motion that he was ready to the reveal the answers, since there was a clear winner, and the game was over. Everyone waited in anticipation.

[Answers translated from binary to basic]

_Question 1: Zeb_

"Oh sure, start with me," Zeb said unenthusiastically. 

Everyone else laughed.

"Were you running away from your Wookie girlfriend?" Ezra taunted as he laughed.

"Kid, you are never gonna let that die, are you?" Zeb growled.

"Nope. Never," he laughed.

"Remind me never to let him pilot anything," Kanan joked to Hera, who covered her mouth to conceal a laugh.

"Hey! I was a kid back then! I barely knew how to fly!"

"So why'd you steal the ship?" Kallus inquired innocently.

"Uh...you see..," he said rubbing the back of his head, "I...I just needed it."

"For?" the man inquired further.

Trying to dodge the question, he just responded with, "It doesn't matter. It's in the past. I tried to steal this guy's ship, and I crashed it. Lucky to be alive too. I think that ship was faulty."

"Suuure," joked Kanan.

Zeb grew irritated. He hated this game. He always has.

"Chop, how did you even know about that anyway? I never told you that."

Chopper responded, claiming that he had "found" the Lasat's records at some point, and this one surfaced.

"So then...," asked the Lasat, hoping that the true answer was something left out of his records and thus out of Chopper's databank.

However, Chopper then responded that he knew the real reason. A girl.

"Wooow Zeb," Ezra laughed. "She must've been really impressed. She wasn't a Wookie, was she?"

At this point, Ezra was dying of laughter. Clearly the Wookie story meant all the world to him and it was something he couldn't let go of. Zeb got up and started making his way towards Ezra, before he was stopped by Kanan.

"Let the kid be, Zeb. It's all in good fun."

"Fun for who, exactly?"

"Zeb, relax, come on buddy," he said, passing him an unopened can of beer.

Coercing him to back down, Kanan instructed Chopper to move on to the next answer, which he happily agreed to.

_Question 2: Kanan_

"Wow, Kanan," Sabine started. "Hera must've loved that," she said sarcastically.

Hera, arched her brow and nodded vigorously.

"Look, to be fair, I had a really really good hand," Kanan said defensively. "And two, I swear that bastard cheated me."

"Kanan!" Hera scolded.

Kanan put up his hands in surrender. He knew cursing on the ship had been ruled against by Hera, primarily when around the two younger members, but it slipped. These things happened, and he tried. For the most part.

"Anyway," he started up, trying to quickly change the topic, "Luckily, our next few gigs paid well enough to cover the lost expenses. No big deal."

"No big deal, mister hotshot?" Hera asked skeptically. "Do you even recall how we survived that month at all? We had to meticulously prioritize repairs on the ship based on parts we could afford. Then, we had to find creative ways of getting fuel for the ship, and food to feed ourselves," she said as her temper flared up at the thought of that memory.

Not wanting a full blown argument before the night even started, Kanan amended his response.

"Okay, fine, it was a big deal, kind of. But we got creative with what we've got, and we managed."

"Hah, bet she never let you touch a deck of cards again in a long time," Ezra joked.

Rubbing his hand across the back of his neck, he responded shamefully, "She...kinda still doesn't."

From the back side of the room, Kallus chuckled. "So that's why you insisted on a, 'just for fun' game."

"Yea, Hera said that it's only allowed if I don't ever play for money," he said in embarassment, inadvertently pointing out the hold she had on him.

"I'm not a fan of gambling. And _that_ is exactly why," Hera explained.

"Thanks for ruining it for the rest of us, Kanan," Sabine said with an exaggerated tone.

"Ohh...was this when it was just you guys traveling? Kriff dad, no wonder she never let us learn how to play."

"Ezra!" Hera scolded, then looked at Kanan, using her eyes to dart to the boy, signalling to Kanan that it was his fault for opening the door to cursing for the evening.

Kanan shrugged in an apologetic manner, while Sabine laughed and nudged at Ezra.

"Ez," she chuckled, "You know better. Even I learned not to curse around Hera."

"Listen to her Ezra. She got an extra day's worth of chores every time she did. I'm letting you off with a warning this time, because I do know that after all these years, that you know better," the captain commented.

"That...was not cool," Sabine said looking at Ezra. "You know how much I used to curse before you came along? I was practically doing chores for months on end in the beginning. Almost drove me off this ship for child labor," she said sarcastically.

"And yet you stayed," Hera retorted.

"And learned to keep that mouth in check," Kanan added.

Sabine gestured her hands, pointing at them both, while looking at Ezra.

"You see what I had to put up with? For your sake, little bro, leave the curses at the door."

She then turned to the rest of them. "And why did this all turn on me? I thought we were grilling Kanan?"

Watching from the furthest corner of the room, Kallus chuckled to himself. Seeing the dynamic of this crew was definitely entertaining. He realized this casual and open atmosphere was something he never really had, and never really experienced in person. Until now.

Kanan didn't want the attention thrown back at him, in fear of Hera's temper flaring up once more, so instead, he instructed the droid to continue.

_Question 3: Sabine_

"Wait. What?!" she exclaimed.

Chopper laughed. Almost everyone else was in shock.

"Ezra!" she shouted, punching him in the arm.

"What? No. Do not pin this on me. I didn't tell anyone about your little crush," he said defensively.

"Oh? Then how?"

Chopper began to explain that he had overheard her interaction with the Twi'lek, picking up on her vocal inflections and body language.

"Chop! You were spying on me?"

"Alright. I've got to hear this, since I thought that this was an easy question directed to me," Kanan commented, as he pecked Hera on the cheek, then eagerly moved in closer to the girl.

"Ugh, fine," she started. "It was back when we went to gramps'....I mean, General Syndulla for help..."

"But who....Oh!" Kanan gasped in recollection of a younger Twi'lek that was by Cham's side. "She's pretty."

"Ahem," Hera interrupted, earning an apologetic grin from him.

"Oh. Uh...no. Different girl. Younger," Sabine corrected.

"Oh. Hm. Guess you're right. That other one I was thinking of was more Hera's age."

"Kanan. Ew," she squinted in disgust.

Once more, Hera interrupted with a gruff noise.

"Oh. Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean anything by it. I just...uh..sorry?" she gritted her teeth and smiled in embarassment.

"Mhmm. You two..." Hera trailed off, then just shook her head.

"So?" Kanan asked anxiously, putting his arm around Sabine in comradery.

"Her name was Zheela. I bumped into her while I was roaming around their weapons cache. She...she was really smart..and amazing. Her skin was this...electric blue. And...well, she...she was really pretty."

Sabine blushed slightly as she got caught up, remembering the girl.

"Hah! Atta girl," Kanan said proudly, grabbing Sabine by the back of the neck and shaking her in his approval.

Hera shook her head, but smiled at the two. She knew that there was much that those two had in common. More so than they had each admitted to. It was something she wanted them to explore more together, to help each other heal from their past, but she knew that that was a topic for another time. For now, she was amused at Kanan's excitement over having a companion that shared similar tastes in a partner.

Kallus and Zeb, on the other hand, remained quiet,in which the Mandalorian had noticed.

"What?" she questioned to them, almost offended by their silence.

"Uh. Nothing. Just. Learned something new about you today."

"Uh huh. I'm not ashamed, you know."

"No, you shouldn't be. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. Your decisions are perfectly acceptable to me. It was just...unexpected is all. Apologies if I had offended you."

"Uh huh. Gee, thanks for your blessing Kallus," Sabine said sarcastically.

"And you, big guy?"

"I'm...I'm just offended that I didn't know about it and he did," Zeb answered, pointing to Ezra.

"No offense Zeb, but Ez and I just talk about stuff..."

"Girls," Ezra interrupted with a smug grin.

"And other stuff," Sabine said discretely, hinting to Ezra about other shared topics of interest. "Anyway, clearly, no one else knew, so you don't have to get in a huff about it."

"I knew."

Everyone turned to Hera in surprise.

"Wait. Hera, you knew?" the girl asked.

Hera nodded and smiled, amused at the reaction she was getting. Sabine's cheeks grew a little pinker at the thought.

"Let's just say I saw the two of you interact once. Sweetie, you weren't as subtle as you thought you were being," she chuckled. "I'd say you were acting a bit like Kanan. I think he rubbed off on you a little too much over the years."

Sabine turned even redder and hung her head down, while Kanan read it all as a compliment and hugged her close. 

"That's my girl."

Hera chuckled at the sight.

"I think I'll take a page from Ezra's book and die now," she said as she hid her face in her hands.

"Hey!"

"Chop. Move on. Please," she begged.

After a few chuckles from the droid, he obliged.

_Question 4: Kallus_

In an almost unified response, everyone looked to him in shock.

"Kallus? Whaaat? How old are you?" Ezra turned to ask.

"Older than you, lad. My guess is by several decades even," he responded.

Almost everyone's jaw dropped.

"Hold up. Kallus, you're that much older than me?" the Jedi asked in disbelief.

Kallus laughed under his breath. "That's exactly the reaction I always get."

"Force, Kallus!" Ezra exclaimed still in shock. "I should call you gramps," he joked.

"Hey!" growled Zeb. "Who you callin' old, kid?"

"Uh. Kallus? Why are you upset?"

Sabine facepalmed herself. "Kid, they're the same age."

"What?!"

Everyone burst out in laughter.

"I think it's the second time tonight that you've insulted me," Zeb said, with an intimidating expression.

"Pfft. Serves you right for this morning," he said, waving him off. "Fine. I'll concede and call him uncle."

"Yes!" Kanan hissed.

Everyone turned in the direction of the Jedi. Kanan just laughed. 

"Told you so, Kallus. Hera, you owe me twenty."

"Wait, were you betting on me?" Ezra asked offensively.

"You could say that. Thanks kid."

The boy glared at his master, then turned his attention back to Chopper.

"Okay Chop. Next answer."

Chopper buzzed and beeped and gladly continued.

_Question 5: Ezra_

Once more, the room went silent, as Ezra's face grew hot. Sabine elbowed him to the side and chuckled. 

"Guess both our secrets' out," she whispered.

Ezra looked around the room, took a breath and shrugged. "Guilty as charged."

Looking up at Kallus, he saw the man smirk, but before he could say anything, the man took it upon himself to comment, before he was put on the scene once more, like Sabine had done.

"No need to gauge my response, boy. Like I told Sabine, your choices are your own. And, I won't judge."

Kallus looked at the boy and realized that it seemed like he still wanted him to say more. Kallus was unsure of what these kids wanted from him, but, as he thought about it, he came to the conclusion that it was probably because he was an outsider to their family, one who's now heard very personal secrets about their lives, and were looking to see how he would judge them.

"Listen," he said, as he swirled a glass of wine, then stood up and walked over to the younger rebels, sitting down next to them.

"You both can relax. You can love whoever you want, and it won't ever need to matter what anyone else thinks about it. It's how you feel, and you have every right to do so. Not me, not anyone, should ever make either of you uncomfortable because of something like that. Love a boy," he said, as he turned to Ezra, "Love a girl," he said, turning to Sabine, "Human or not, or anything in between," he smiled, "It doesn't matter. And," he added, "when you're in a safe environment with your family, it should _never_ be an issue."

That last bit, he threw in as a way to comfort them both, not realizing that he had inadvertently placed himself as a member of their family, or so it was understood by everyone else in the room. He had mentioned it, purely on the idea of the Ghost crew as a family, one he's played witness to, these past few days together.

The younger two looked at each other, then looked at Kallus.

"I knew you'd fit right in," Sabine said as she smiled, then punched him on the arm. "Thanks," she added.

"Yea, thanks, Uncle K," Ezra grinned. "You're...you're not so bad after all."

Hera and Kanan watched their exchange and smiled. They thought it nice to have someone else be a mentor for them. Someone who seemed to understand them right away.

Breaking up the tender moment, Chopper groaned in a mixed set of droid warbles, clearly emphasizing his disapproval of the evening's cheesiness. 

"Whatever Chop, you're just jealous," Ezra retorted.

Chopper responded by zapping Ezra, startling Kallus.

"Aahhh! Why you stupid bucket of bolts!" Ezra shouted as he force pushed Chopper back, inadvertently slamming into Hera's lounger.

"Ezra!" shouted both Kanan and Hera in unison.

"Ezra Bridger, that was uncalled for!" the captain scolded.

"She's right. What did I tell you about using your force powers outside of their intended uses?" barked Kanan.

"But he started it! You saw him! He zapped me first!"

"Ezra, again, this is something you should already know by now," she said with disappointment in her voice. "I've heard Kanan mention this more times than I can recall," she sighed. "I'm adding additional chores on your list for this week."

"But mom," whined Ezra. "Why doesn't Chopper ever get in trouble for things? That's not fair."

"Because he's the favorite," Sabine said under her breath. "Ez, just stop making a scene, you're gonna make it worse for yourself, and you know it."

"Hrmph, still not fair," he said, dropping back down on the floor where he had originally sat.

Hera eyed the two, then looked down at Chopper. All of a sudden, everyone heard a loud thump. Hera had head-slapped the droid for causing trouble.

"I don't play favorites," she said with affirmation. "Chopper knows this. Now, let's finish up this game before we end up with any more issues."

Chopper rolled back to the middle of the floor and answered.

_Question 6: Hera_

Everyone looked back at the captain, stunned.

"Chopper!" Hera let out.

The droid raised his arms in a shrugging manner.

"Huh, so, let me get this straight. You flirted your way around to get what you needed, and that's fine, but when I do it, you roll your eyes at me?" Kanan jokingly complained.

"Love, that was a long, long time ago."

"Can't blame her though. Women have that option. I'm sure she always got what she wanted," Sabine said with a shrug, but gave Hera a smile that showed that she approved of her methods.

"Ha, how many times has that worked on you, Bine?" Ezra joked.

"I've never flirted for...wait...did you really just ask if that worked on me?" she said with an annoyed tone as she crossed her arms.

"Ha, you heard me."

"You punk," she said, reaching for the boy's collar, but was stopped by Kallus who happened to still be sitting between the two youths.

"Okay, you two, not on my watch," Kallus said, regretting that he was in the spot he was in now, but felt compelled to prevent the two from brawling.

While Kallus refereed Ezra and Sabine, Kanan was still on Hera about her use of persuasive methods. The two weren't arguing, it was more of Kanan being Kanan, and giving Hera crap about it. For a while, the room was deafening with everyone's voices blending together. Zeb, alone in the booth, rolled his eyes at the scene before him. This is exactly why he hates "Guess that Rebel." He pondered at how this could ever be defined as fun.

Nonchalantly, he shouted over the crowd to Chopper, "Hey Chop, so who's our lucky winner?"

As loud as he could possibly say in binary, he answered, "Kallus."

The room went still. Kallus, still caught between the mass of arms and legs from the two youths, was taken aback as he faced the stares of everyone there.

Chopper amended his answer.

[Translated from binary to basic.]

_The winning score was 3. Answering questions about himself, Zeb and Hera, correctly._

Laughter ensued. Everyone pretty much guessed that he figured he'd know of Zeb's story, because the two were close, but Hera, that one surprised them.

"Alexsandr?"

Sabine and Ezra let go, freeing Kallus, and instead, now occupied themselves with holding back their giggles.

"Uh....lucky guess?" he shrugged, hoping that would save him from any further explanation.

"You've done it now, Kallus," Zeb chuckled. "Now you're really going to have to explain your answer."

Kallus watched as Hera stood firm, arms crossed, brow arching, staring straight at him. He felt a bit hopeless, and also somehow instinctively feared the woman's potential anger, realizing now, that this was the "power" she had over her crew. He was surprised how quickly he became susceptible to it.

Faltering with his answer, he finally responded.

"Ahem," he started, trying to recompose himself. "I...I hope you don't take this personally. I meant no offense. I just...it just seemed like you were the most qualified....er, capable, out of this group."

"Qualified..." Hera echoed.

"Capable, ma'am," he corrected.

"No, no. You started with qualified. Tell me, Alexsandr, what makes you say that?"

Kallus, for the first time in a long time, felt highly embarrassed. He even turned a few shades of red. He suddenly was acting out of character, stuttering with how to respond and remedy the situation.

"Captain, I..."

Regardless of the giggling and chuckling of the rest of the crew, Hera continued.

"Are you hinting that I'm attractive, or because I'm a Twi'lek?" she questioned.

At that, the laughter grew louder. At first, it was the idea of Hera flirting away, that got them going. Now, it was just watching Kallus get roasted by their captain.

Kallus, defeated, bit his tongue and stopped trying to say anything else.

Hera walked over to him and stared him in the eye. "Alexsandr."

"Ma'am?"

Hera shook her head, dismissed the former ISB agent's use of formalities, smiled, then let out a small laugh.

"Relax Kallus. I was just messing with you. I figured it was the best opportunity for you know what it means to be a "rebel" in this family.

"I...I don't understand," he responded in confusion.

Hera pursed her lips, with the corner of her mouth slightly arched to reveal a partial smile.

"The teasing. Much to my dismay, it has grown into the fibers of our family. From what I can tell, it seems that you weren't given a _proper_ welcome, so I took the opportunity. Welcome to the family, Kallus," she smiled.

Kallus relaxed a bit after hearing her explanation, and cracked a smile. "Thank you...Hera."

She smiled back.

"By the way," she started. "I'm flattered," she finished, as she tapped him on the nose.

"Ahahahahha! Force!" Sabine said, wrapping her arms around her stomach, as she laughed on the ground. "Mom, that was amazing!"

"Ahahaha, you should see the look on Uncle K's face!" Ezra started. "But then, dad's!" he finished, as he too was having trouble from containing the giggles.

Kanan's jaw practically dropped. "Hera! What was that about?" he asked seriously.

Hera just laughed. "Don't worry, love, you're the only one for me."

"Now that, that was worth this game," Zeb said, laughing just as hard as the others.


	6. The Syndulla-Jarrus Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A morning surprise, from the troublemakers, for Hera and Kanan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays :)
> 
> Seemed like this work was getting pretty popular, and since I had more stories in my head, I've decided to keep going.
> 
> Thanks for the support! More Ghost crew family feels on the way.

Movie night ended well. Even though Kallus had won "Guess that Rebel," he had forfeited his win to Hera, as a sign of atonement for his embarrassing explanation about her fact. She initially declined, claiming that it was unnecessary, but after Kallus insisted, she accepted his offer without protest.

Hera had chosen a random, older, classic film, that had a good mixture of action, romance, comedy and a bit of drama. She thought it would be a good balance for everyone. However, it wasn't enough action for Sabine, not enough romcom for Ezra, and too much drama for Zeb. At some point, the three had fallen asleep during the movie. On the flip side, there was something about watching a classic film, one that was made many decades ago, with its older technology, grainy display, and mono audio track, reminiscent of a different time, that entertained the adults of the crowd. With the troublemakers falling asleep part-way, it had made it even more enjoyable.

Zeb and Kallus had been sitting in the booth, until Zeb passed out. He was hunched over with his head and arms folded on the table. It was a miracle that the sleeping Lasat hadn't burst out into a loud snoring fest, with the way he was positioned.

Hera and Kanan were seated on the floor, leaning back across a mound of pillows that they had thrown against the wall. Sabine and Ezra laid with them, one on either side of their "parent of choice". Ezra had slumped over, his head resting against Kanan's shoulder. Sabine, had gotten herself more comfortable, by laying crosswise, with her head resting on Hera's lap.

At the end of the movie, each non-sleeping partner woke the other.

"Hey kiddo," Kanan nudged at the boy, "Bedtime."

Ezra mumbled quietly, but only shifted to make himself even more comfortable against the warmth of Kanan's arm. This wasn't the first time he's fallen asleep on him, and every time, Kanan had found it somewhat endearing.

"Sabine, sweetie. It's time for bed," Hera said, stroking the girl's hair.

The girl grumbled, acknowledging that she had heard her, but immediately went back to sleep, curling up even more against Hera's leg. The woman just shook her head and smiled, then looked over to Kanan, who was also pinned down, then grinned more.

"Hey. Zeb," Kallus said, nudging the shoulder of the sleeping Lasat.

Zeb grumbled something incoherent, then attempted to swat away whatever it was that had touched him. His massive arm nearly caught Kallus in the head, causing him to flinch back.

"Right. I don't need to deal with that," he said, sliding out from his side of the booth. 

"I'm headed to bed. I'm sure he'll be fine here," he added, as he looked over to the Kanan and Hera, and smirked at their predicament. "Good luck with those two, and...thank you, for the evening. It was...an enlightening experience."

"Our pleasure, Kallus. We all had fun as well. Glad to have you part of our crazy family," Kanan chuckled quietly.

Kallus nodded back and grinned, then turned away and headed back to his quarters.

"So...leave'em here?" Kanan asked.

"They might get cold laying on the ground like this."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. If they wake, then all the better. Hopefully they'll manage to crawl back to their rooms. They're smart kids. They'll figure it out."

Kanan, who, along with Hera, had played a body pillow for the youths time and time again, and have learned how difficult it could be to wake them, once they had fully fallen into a deep sleep. No amount of coercing would do. With the younger members being asleep for as long as they had been already, they knew that this would become one of those moments, and Kanan was ready to just let them be.

Hera acknowledged, grabbing one of the pillows, then shifting to the side, allowing the pillow to replace the leg that had supported Sabine's head. Once she was done, she got up and left the common room.

Kanan had a more difficult time of escaping. With Ezra in a seated position, there was more of his body weight to shift away. Eventually, the older Jedi was able to hold up Ezra, shuffle away from his seated area, then leaned the boy across in the direction of where Kanan had been.

Hera returned, holding the blankets of each of the sleeping crew members.

"You're too soft Hera. Now they'll sleep here all night long."

"Well, if they're still here come morning, at least it'd be easier to get them all up."

"Fair point."

The two then began covering up each youth. Afterwards, Hera also took the opportunity to cover up Zeb with his blanket.

"Alright milady. I believe we've done our job. Shall we?" Kanan jokingly gestured, bowing and offering his hand to Hera.

"Gladly," she said as she smiled at him and took his hand.

* * *

  
The next morning, at a much much earlier time than even Hera would get up, Zeb, Ezra and Sabine were found in the galley making breakfast.

"Come'on Zeb," Ezra pushed, "We gotta hurry before they wake."

"Hey, I'm tryin'. Shut your yap and I'll finish quicker."

"Will you both keep it down? You'll wake'em up with your bickering," Sabine hollered quietly, as she set the remaining items on the trays.

"Alright, done," Zeb mentioned, turning around to where Sabine was, then plated the bacon, eggs and potatoes, on each plate.

"Nice, Zeb," Sabine said as she smelled and gazed upon the food.

"You're welcome," he responded, turning back and putting the large pan in the sink.

"Kay. I think we've got everything. Ez, you ready?"

"You bet."

"I'll leave you kids to it. I'm gonna go head and shower. Good luck."

"Yep, thanks Zeb!" Sabine shouted quietly. "Okay, Ez. Let's go."

The two wondered quietly out of the galley, across the common room and over to Hera's door, each carrying a tray of food. Sabine motioned to Chopper to assist with opening up the door, since only Hera and Chopper knew the override codes to undo locked doors on the Ghost. He expertly and quietly did so, allowing both youths to step into the room.

Sabine nodded at the desk where she wanted them to put down the trays. As the looked over to the bed, they found Kanan fast asleep, relaxed and on his back, with his arms over his head. Hera, on the other hand, was found curled up towards the opposite side, hugging the edge.

"Okay," he said. "Let's jump on in!" he whispered excitedly.

"Ez!" she said, slapping him on the arm. "What are we? Five?" 

"Ugh, but you know that it'll take a tank to wake Kanan. Come on. It'll be more fun that way."

"Yea, but then Hera will probably have our heads. We're already trying to avoid that. Remember?"

Sabine stood there as she crossed her arms, pursed her lips and stared him dead in the eye. She knew that she had to reinforce the idea of not causing any additional trouble. The fact that they were up so early, against their will, to do this, was already saying much about their commitment to seeing this through. She wasn't about to let Ezra mess it up.

"Fine. Be boring," he huffed.

Quietly, the two crept slowly into Hera's large bed. Sabine shifted behind Hera and placed her hand on the woman's hip. Ezra, decided to make himself comfortable instead, somehow finding room between all the bodies, to lay next to Kanan, placing his head on the sleeping Jedi's stomach.

Hera woke first. She was a much lighter sleeper than the rest of the crew, and immediately noticed the weight on her hip. She mumbled, then fluttered her eye lids to open. Looking down, she saw the younger girl there.

"Mmmm....Sabine?" the woman asked hoarsely, as she struggled to wake.

"Mornin'," the girl responded, looking at her with bright and cheery eyes.

"Morning, love. What's going on? Everything okay?"

"Yea," Sabine chuckled, "We're good."

"We're?" the captain asked in confusion.

"Hey, mom," Ezra said, turning his head away from Kanan to look towards her.

"Ezra?"

"In the flesh," he chuckled.

More awake now, she shifted in the bed to sit up, with both younger members following suit.

"What are you two up to?" she asked with suspicion.

"Nothing...," Ezra started. "We...we made you guys breakfast."

"Breakfast?"

"Uh huh," Sabine responded, moving to allow Hera to see the trays of food they had placed on her desk.

"No wonder it smells wonderful in here," the Twi'lek said as she smiled.

She then turned to look at Kanan, who was unphased by anything, and continued to snore away. She shifted closer to him, with both Sabine and Ezra scooting back to the foot of the bed.

"Ooo Ooo, can I wake him?" Ezra whispered excitedly.

"Ezra," she said, in a tone that suggested that he was up to no good.

"What? Please?" he begged.

"Fine, but be nice."

The boy grinned ear to ear and slid off the bed, crouching down on the floor next to Kanan.

"Kanan," he said in a non-hushed tone, as he poked at the man's nose. "Kanan. Dad. Dad. Daaaad," he continued, but barely got any response.

He needed something else. It barely took a second before he came up with the idea of using his force powers to rip the blankets off of the sleeping Jedi, regardless that he knew that he wasn't supposed to use his powers outside of the norm. However, in doing so, he underestimated how much and where the sheet was tossed, inadvertently covering Sabine.

She gasped, not expecting the wave of thick, heavy fabric enveloping her, while Kanan slowly started coming to, as his arms swept about, trying to find his missing covers.

"Ezra!" she shouted in a muffled voice, as she tried to find her way out of the blanket covering.

Ezra chuckled a bit, but quickly used his force powers once more to pull Kanan's pillow from under the sleeping Jedi, and use it to protect him. He knew full well that doing something like that to his older sibling would most likely result in some sort of act of retribution.

Kanan's head dropped and hit the headboard, causing him to stir awake instantly. 

"What the force?" he grumbled, as he raised his hand to rub the top of his head.

Sabine finally freed herself from the massive mound of fabric, then tossed it at Ezra as hard as she could. He managed to use the force once more to stop the unwieldy ball of blankets, and threw it back at Sabine.

"The force? Really Ezra?" she complained in a muffled tone, as she tried to free herself once more. "Mom, can't you stop him from using that?"

All the while, as quickly as this all happened, Hera just sat up against the headboard, watching the two attempt to wake Kanan. It was a bit too early, and she hadn't quite gotten the energy to say or do anything. Besides, she was in good spirits, and was amused by the whole ordeal. It was a rare moment to be surprised with, that early in the day, and be awaken with the warmth of family.

"I think that's more in Kanan's realm, sweetie," she said as she smiled.

Kanan, at this point was awake, physically, but was having a hard time comprehending what was happening. He slowly sat up, ran his hands down his face, and blinked a few times before he spoke. Ezra was cowering next to him, hiding behind the man's pillow, staring at what looked to be a captured animal under the blankets, fighting its way out.

"Ezra, what in the galaxy are you doing there? In here?" he questioned, as Sabine finally freed herself. "Sabine?" he asked in a confused tone, then looked back and forth between the two.

"You two better have a good explanation for this," he said in a hoarse tone, annoyed at being woken up in such a jarring manner.

"Breakfast!" shouted Ezra excitedly.

The boy quickly got up, tossed the pillow back onto the bed, and went towards the desk to grab a tray, but not before Sabine, in a display of acrobatics, had expertly grabbed the pillow mid-air, jumped off the bed, and lunged at the back of the boy's head with it, nearly knocking him down into the tray of food before him.

"Sabine!" he yelled, catching himself as he slammed into the desk.

"Payback, punk," she responded smugly, as she grabbed Hera's tray.

"Yea? Just wait. I'll get you back."

"No. I won't. I think you actually owe me. For all this," she said, winking to him, as he glared.

Kanan shook his head. It was too early for this. However, once he saw the spread laid out before him, his tone had changed.

"Wait. You two cooked breakfast. For us. This early in the morning?" the Jedi questioned suspiciously.

"Well...it was really Zeb who cooked. We did the other things," the boy explained.

"Zeb's up too?" 

"Yep, he's in the shower," Sabine answered.

"Uh huh..."

Still skeptical at their behavior, Kanan looked down at his plate, and was quickly enamored by the smell of hot breakfast sitting on his lap. He took his fork and happily dug in.

"You know, other than your method of waking me up. I wouldn't mind you two doing this again," Kanan commented.

"Mhmm..," Hera hummed, as she sipped on the perfectly made caf that Sabine had prepared for her. "Still," she added. "Why do I get the feeling that there's something more behind this good intention of yours?"

"Hera, you're overthinking things," Ezra said, dismissing her concerns. "We just wanted to surprise you guys. You know, for being...awesome."

"Hera's right, kid. I don't buy it. What did you do?" questioned the Jedi.

"Kanan, for the record, we don't have to be in trouble for us to want to do something nice for you guys every now and then," the Mandalorian interrupted.

"And for the record, Sabine, every time the two of you attempted to butter us up like this, it was exactly because you two had been up to something."

"Dad, relax. Everything's cool," Ezra insisted, as he plopped down at the foot of the bed.

"Yea, just enjoy it. Kay?" Sabine added, as she shifted between both adults to make herself comfortable enough to snuggle in and lay down.

The two adults glanced at each other, their eyes silently communicating to one another that they knew something was up, but their gentle smiles said that they would let the the two youths have their way, for now. More and more, they realized that this change of pace was what they needed. What they wanted. And, although it was another frigid morning on Carlac, they felt warm and blessed in having the opportunity to have such a relaxed and "normal" way to start the day, sharing it with their loved ones, wishing it could be that way, always.


	7. The Displaced Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabine's moments.

After breakfast, the crew got ready to head into town. Bundling up as best they could, they prepared for the trek. It was the first time they had stepped foot into the snow covered lands of Carlac, the closest most of them got, were the few times they had opened the hatch to sit on top of the ship, to get some fresh air.

They all squeezed into the Phantom, following a route that Hera had planned, to get to the closest village.

"Hhh...Hera...Ccan yyoou ttturn up tthe air...pppplease," stuttered Ezra.

"Give it a minute, Ezra," she answered. "It'll take a bit for the Phantom to heat up. It hasn't been used since we landed, so the engines need to get fired up. Shouldn't take much longer."

"Kkkkay," he answered, as he huddled up closer to Sabine.

"You doin okay, Ez?" she asked, as she felt him shudder.

"Mmmhmmm," he mumbled through chattering teeth.

She chuckled. "I didn't know you were so weak against the cold."

"I'm nnnot...wwwweak. Jjjust nnnnot uuuused to iiit," he continued stuttering.

"Alright Ezra. Systems are fully up. Turning up the heat."

"Tttthankssss Hhhhera."

A few minutes later and the cabin was back up to a temperature that Ezra felt comfortable in.

"Yup. I definitely hate the cold."

"Kid, you need to toughen up. It's not all bad," Zeb commented.

"Says you. You're the one with a built-in fur coat."

"You're just jealous, because I'm not shivering like a little Loth kitten," Zeb teased.

"At least I don't stink like a swamp feet in the summer!" Ezra yelled back.

Up front, Hera just shook her head. "See, those two definitely needed to get some space."

Kanan nodded as he sighed. "You two better quiet down or I'm kicking you both off the shuttle and you'll have to find your own way there AND back," he ordered.

The two glared at each other, but kept their mouths shut. Instead, they tried to mock each other in silence, trying to get the other to slip, and see them suffer at Kanan's threat. 

Kallus rolled his eyes, wondering what it was that kept Zeb on this ever present path to torment the boy. He looked across the way to Sabine, who only shrugged. 

"Welcome to the family, Kallus," she chuckled.

* * *

  
About forty-five minutes later, they arrived at their destination. It was a small village, nestled in between a valley of tall mountains that provided shelter from the harsher elements of the planet. The village looked peaceful, covered by the newly fallen snow, creating smooth, white blankets over the rooftops. You didn't see many locals walking about, unlike in other places, whose planets had more acceptable climates.

Hera parked the shuttle in a nearby alleyway, away from sight, in case of any trouble.

Ezra, braced himself for the impending frigid weather, then followed everyone off the ship.

"Sure is quiet out here," Kanan said with hint of sigh of relief, as he escaped the tight confines of the shuttle, where he was forced to hear the bickering of their two other members.

"Reminds me of Krownest..." Sabine said quietly, as she reminisced about her past. The cool air, the snow, the smell of a frozen world, the shine that sparkled off of dangling icicles. If she hadn't known better, everything, other than the buildings around them, told her that she was back home. 

"Okay," Hera started. "Let's just walk around and see what we can find. Whatever you do, please don't cause any trouble," she said, staring particularly in Ezra and Zeb's direction.

"Aye, aye, captain!" mocked Ezra.

"You got it, Hera," Zeb acknowledged.

They then started on their way, looking at the various structures and homes that surrounded them, as they searched for establishments where they could hopefully purchase what they needed, to replenish the ship's reserves. They passed by a few locals, but all of them only stole a glance at the outsiders, before they hurried on their way.

"Guess they're not feeling all that friendly," Zeb observed.

"Or, maybe you're scaring them," joked Ezra.

Butting in to prevent them from bickering with one another, Kallus put in his two thoughts. "No, I get this feeling that there's something going on here. Something we're not privy to."

"I have a feeling you're right," Kanan commented.

They all turned a corner, where they were surprised to find a handful of warriors, and what looked to be, someone of importance, blocking their path. Out of reaction, nearly everyone from the Ghost crew, reached down to take hold of their weapons.

"We need not to fight," said the taller, dignified looking man.

"That's yet to be determined," Kanan responded, as he stepped forward, standing strong to be the first to protect his family, if trouble arose from the conversation.

"Please. We are a peaceful people. We are not looking for trouble," he assured them.

"Oh yea?" Zeb chimed in. "Your goons back there aren't exactly a symbol of peace," he added, as he looked upon the men and women standing beside him, each looking as if they were ready to fight, dressed as soldiers and fully armed.

"Ah, yes. Them," he said, looking towards his group. "They are for insurance."

"Insurance? From what?" Kanan questioned.

"From her," he said, pointing at Sabine.

"Me? Why me?" she asked. "I think you have me confused with someone else."

"No. I do not, Mandalorian."

Sabine stood in confusion before attempting to step forward. However, as soon as she did so, the other group raised their weapons towards her.

"Whoa, whoa. Wait right there," Kanan said, as he stepped forward once more, hoping to act as a barrier between both parties. He then looked at the man squarely. "You claim peace, but you have a very odd way of showing it."

"She. She is the reason my guards are up at arms."

"I'm sorry, mister...," Hera started. 

"Trileth. I am the mayor of this village."

"Mayor Trileth," Hera acknowledged. "I think you are mistaken. She isn't someone who would harm you."

"She, is Mandalorian," the man said sternly, as he walked closer to the group, before he was stopped short by the tall, purple Lasat.

"Hrmph," Trileth grunted under his breath.

Sabine walked towards them both, but walked slow with her hands up in the air, assuring them that she wasn't about to cause them trouble. The man then stared at her closely.

"Yes. You are them. The striking image of our arch enemy."

"Mayor Trileth," Sabine started, "I assure you, I am not..."

"Death Watch," he said out loud.

At the sound of those words, Sabine stood back in silence, shocked at hearing him say that.

"You wear the mask of those murderers," he continued. "They...they've harmed more of my people than I can even count," he added. "You. You must leave. Now, else you suffer for your people's crimes."

Sabine, still caught off-guard, stood in silence at the man's words. Ezra came over to stand by her side, feeling the girl's anxiety and uneasiness get the better of her.

"Don't worry, Bine. I've got your back. We all do."

Sabine snapped out of her daze and nodded back to Ezra. Kallus stepped forward next, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder, then pulled her aside, as he stood beside Kanan. Both men created a barrier between Sabine and the opposing group.

"Forgive our intrusion, Mayor," he started. "I understand your apprehension and we will cooperate fully, so that we may all go about in peace," Kallus added, "However, no matter how much this girl reminds you of those heathens, know that _she_ is not one of them. And, if any harm is to come to her, by your hand or those you command, know that we will not show mercy."

The crew stood in surprise as they saw Kallus taking on the initiative by showing his unwavering authority, backed by the look of this gruff and commanding exterior, echoing the way the crew remembered him being, when he stood as a soldier of the Empire.

The man acknowledged Kallus's threat.

"Then it is settled. Provided that she leaves and does not step foot into our village, or any of the surrounding villages, then the rest of you may go in peace and explore and enjoy the offerings of our town. You have my word that no one will harm her, as long as these terms are accepted."

Kallus nodded in acceptance, and man did so in return, turning away from the crew, with his followers behind him. He then turned to the younger two, who remained silent.

"I will take her back to the ship so that the rest of you can take your time. Signal to me when you are ready for a pick-up and I shall return."

Kanan nodded, then placed his hand on the man's shoulder, a silent gesture giving him his thanks.

"Sabine," Hera said as she approached her. "Are you alright? If you want, I can..."

"No, Hera," she interrupted. "I'm...fine. Go. You and the rest can enjoy the village. I'll stay behind and keep out of sight," she said in a solemn tone.

"It's okay, mom," Ezra said. "I'll go back with them. You guys have fun."

"Ez...you don't have to..."

"No. This town looks stupid anyway and I hate the cold. I'm going back with you and you're not going to stop me," he said with determination.

Hera nodded, proud to see Ezra stepping up in his own way.

"We'll be back shortly," she said, touching the girl's shoulder.

Hera walked over next to Kanan, then said her thanks to the former ISB agent as well.

"Alexsandr. Thank you," she said as she smiled.

"Not a problem. For family," he nodded.

* * *

  
Back on the ship, the three gathered around the table in the common room. 

"Sabine, are you alright?" Kallus asked.

"Yea. I will be. Thanks by the way. For what you did back there."

"Of course," he sighed. "How much do you know about what Mayor Trileth referred to? About Death Watch?"

Sabine sat at the table, her fingers intertwined with each other, as she fiddled them around anxiously.

"I...I don't. I know of some history...but not what he means," she said, bothered by the whole ordeal.

Kallus nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"I'm sure there is more information we can gather on the holonet, but I know the general gist. I recall reading a news briefing about it while I was at the Academy. From what I recall, this Mandalorian sect had been taking refuge here on Carlac during the Clone Wars. However, it seems that they were less then hospitable to the natives of their towns. Many were enslaved. Many were slaughtered. Towns were lost."

Sabine hung her head low. She wasn't Death Watch. Her mother was. However, to Sabine, that woman was no longer her mother or her family, yet, their troublesome past continued to haunt her, regardless of how much space and time separated them from each other.

"This planet reminds of Krownest more and more," she sighed. "Thank you for the history lesson, Kallus," she said as she got up and returned to her cabin.

* * *

  
It was some time before Ezra had the courage to knock on Sabine's door to check in on her.

"Hey...Bine," he called out from the corridor.

Sabine didn't answer.

"Come on Bine. Don't make me use the force to get in there," he threatened.

After about a minute, the door slid open, as Sabine turned away.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"What do you want Ezra?" she sighed.

"To see how you were doing."

Ezra watched as the girl returned to face a portion of the wall where she was working on something. As he came closer, he saw what she had been painting. It was a simplistic scene, depicting an icy landscape of tall, snow covered trees, icy mountains in the distance, and white hills in the foreground. However, the scene was covered by a lighter overlay of red color, forming some sort of symbol.

"What's that symbol that you're painting?"

"A jai'galaar," she answered. "The symbol of Death Watch, inherited from the symbol of Clan Vizsla. The clan who led House Vizsla. The house Clan Wren belonged to," she said with resentment as she continued to paint strokes of red on top of the white pristine scenery.

Ezra knew that Sabine's past was something she had always had trouble coming to terms with, even after all these years. Every reminder seemed to open up old wounds again that never fully healed. He hesitated on what to say.

"Sabine...," he started. "You don't represent them."

"I know, Ez..." she said, trailing off.

"I...I can't tell you not to feel the way you do. Things like this...heal over time, and some things are harder than others..."

Ezra continued to watch the girl as she finished her outline of the symbol, and started carefully coloring in the lighter red shade that composed the symbol.

"Ez, I know you're trying to help, but it's like you said. It'll take time. Right now, that's kind of what I need," she responded, without taking her eyes off her work.

Ezra nodded, and put his hand on her shoulder. "You'll be alright Bine," he said, before he walked out of her room.

Several minutes passed, and Sabine had completed her piece. She stood back and looked at it. It was a reminder of her past, while simultaneously representing the planet of Carlac. She always did something like this; dedicating a portion of her cabin to a bit of her past, whenever the time arose. It was to keep her from forgetting what she was trying to get away from, and to remind her that it wasn't who she was, or ever will be.

She sighed then put down her paintbrush, cleansing it in an old tin can of liquid that she had used over and over again until its contents turned black. Afterwards, she went and sat in the makeshift booth under her bunk, and scraped at bits of paint that had tainted her skin as she contemplated about the day's events; about Death Watch, and about what they had done to the people of this planet.

Not shortly thereafter, there was a knock on the door, followed by the sound of it whooshing open. Ezra stood at the doorway, holding two heavy mugs.

"Hey Bine," he said as he walked in.

She smiled, in recognition of the boy's persistence. "Hey Ez."

The boy walked over and placed a hot, steaming mug in front of her, while he sat down and placed his own on the table.

"I thought this time, you needed a mug," he said as he smiled.

Sabine smirked back. "I guess I shouldn't have told you about my stash. Seems like you've been helping yourself to it a lot these days," she joked.

"Eh....only a few times since then," he said, embarrassed that she had noticed.

Sabine took the mug and wrapped it in her hands, feeling its warmth penetrate through the mug's glossy surface.

"Bine," Ezra said, in a more serious tone. "Remember what you told me, the first time you gave me a mug of this stuff? You told me we were family..."

"We _are_ family, kid," Sabine corrected.

"Right," he said, smiling at the idea. "But, you talk about your past...about your other family..."

"They're not my family," she said with resentment, though, she corrected him once more.

"Then you shouldn't be upset anymore. If you denounce them, then all the better. Right?" he said, as he grasped at straws with the idea.

Sabine just shrugged.

With a little bit of ignorance, he took a deep breath, then spoke again.

"You're not Clan Wren, Sabine. You're not with the Empire. You're with us. You're with Clan Syndulla."

Sabine looked up and arched a brow at him, before she let out a small chuckle.

"Clan Syndulla. That's what you're going with?" she said with laughter.

"Yea...well, we both know who really runs this ship," he chuckled.

"So true, but I thought you'd be more in the 'Clan Jarrus' camp," she snickered.

"Hey, I love the guy, but, seriously, it's Clan Syndulla. I bet everyone on this ship would admit it. Even Kanan."

The two laughed at the idea. The Twi'lek did have a way of keeping them all in line. 

"Yea, seems like Kallus is in the same boat too now," she giggled, remembering the incident from the night before.

"That, was amazing. I never thought he'd crack under her. Mom really has a way with everyone," Ezra admitted with a chuckle.

As their laughter tapered, Ezra started up the conversation again.

"Hey, you know, I think now that we've established ourselves as Clan Syndulla, we need a symbol."

"Not a bad idea. I'd have to think about that one a bit."

Ezra watched as he saw Sabine's expression switch to one of deep thought. He was happy to see that he was able to fully distract her from the troubles of the day, and have her focus her energy on something a bit more positive.

"Well, until then," he said, as he raised his mug up to her for a toast, "At aliit!"

Sabine looked up and smiled at Ezra's use of Mando'a. The phrase was one he had asked to learn a while back. She hadn't heard him say it since, and was happy to know that he remembered. She raised her own mug to meet his and cheered back, "At aliit."


	8. The Unsung Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hera's moment

Back in town, the remaining members of the crew went about on their way, visiting various establishments and gathering up supplies as they went. They were bothered by the events that transpired earlier, with Sabine and the local mayor, so they kept a low profile, unsure if they would cause any additional friction with the locals by some nature or another. The three had also split up, in order to cover more ground and quickly return to the ship. 

Zeb had gone off looking for liquor, as was his goal from the get-go, so that he can gloat to Kallus and show him what "real" liquor was. Kanan was set on gathering the essentials, as well as make friends with some of the locals, in order to get more information about them and their culture, and their ever present hatred on Mandalorians, or any other race. The Jedi's former past as a bartender has come in handy more than once, helping him navigate conversations and build comradery among strangers. Hera, on the other hand, was set on solely purchasing mechanical parts for the ship.

A few hours later, Hera had found the few suitable parts that the village offered, and decided to wait for Zeb and Kanan at a local cafe. The interior was simplistic and calm. The main points of interest was the bar area, where a single woman took orders, made them, and handled the register, a few sets of wooden cafe tables and chairs, and the fireplace that anchored them all. The wooden interior brought a sense of warmth, as the glow from the central fireplace danced across its rustic surface. Other than the fire, the cafe was lit only by smaller lanterns that were purposefully placed, in order to create uniform lighting in the area. It was a rather small place, which made the heat from the fireplace sufficient enough to comfortably warm the establishment. There were very few locals there, and most likely these were the usual patrons, who enjoyed their caf in the presence of others. Hera found comfort there, sipping on her caf, a local brew still made just black, without any additional fixings, and basked in the environment; the place smelled of caf, freshly baked goods, and hints of burnt firewood. 

As she sipped on her beverage, she reflected on a number of things, as is typical for her when she found some time alone to herself, without any distractions from the rest of the family. She thought about Sabine. She worried for the girl, knowing how traumatic her past had been, and how difficult it had been for her to cope with various triggers. The day's event, most definitely was a trigger. The girl's body language said it all, even if her face was covered by headgear. And, although she was much more of an adult now than ever before, Hera still was bothered when anyone caused discomfort or showed any sort of prejudice towards the younger girl. To anyone in her family actually. She then thought about Ezra and smiled. She recognized how much he had grown since they first took him in, now acting more of a man (at times), to protect the best interests of everyone he held dear. She was proud of both of them, fighting hard to overcome portions of their difficult past. She loved them both very much.

As she continued to sip on her caf, she stared into the hypnotizing movement of the flames as they danced and crackled over the mound of logs they sat upon. She realized how lucky the whole Ghost crew was, to be able to find each other, to build each other up, in order to become the stronger unit that they are today. Every "damaged" person that had joined the crew, had been pieced together, back to a whole, and became a better and stronger person. In the end, she was happy to have been given the time to be here on Carlac, it was a gentle reminder for everyone to enjoy their company together, without the pressure of fighting the Empire.

Her thoughts were quickly strewn aside, as she suddenly remembered a dream, a nightmare, really. She recalled waking up, maybe about an hour into the night's rest, sweating, and with a racing heart. She didn't initially remember the details, only the general gist. Her family...the Ghost crew, perished one-by-one at the hands of the Empire, as they faced their greatest enemies; Ezra and Kanan by the hands of Vader, Zeb, executed by an overwhelming amount of stormtroopers that surrounded him, Sabine, by Saxon and the Super commandos, and even Kallus, by Thrawn. She never told anyone about it. And although she comforted the others in similar situations, she was never one to seek out the same from anyone. Hera wasn't sure what prompted the disturbance. Perhaps her mind had split focus. One side was slowly getting accustomed to the domestic lifestyle that they had been living, and other reminded her of the inevitable reality of their fight with the Empire, the one that told them that this wouldn't last forever.

Lost in thought, partially saddened at the idea, Hera sighed and tried to calm her mind, when suddenly, the heavy, rustic doors of the cafe split open to reveal an elderly woman, bundled up to the teeth, corralling two younger children. The children ran around her with energy to spare, tracking snow into the wooden floors of the establishment, as they screamed at each other in happiness of trying to escape capture from the other. The woman pulled off her hood, and scolded the children for causing such a disturbance, threatening them with no hot cocoa or snacks if they continued to misbehave. That, caught their attention, and quickly stood still, much calmer than they had been, and undid their outer coverings in order to sit down comfortably at the bar stools at the front of the cafe. Hera smiled at the whole ordeal. The scene was ever familiar to her and was a much welcomed distraction from her mind's thoughts.

The woman took care of the children's coats and winter coverings, then greeted the barista, who simply asked, "The usual?" in which the elderly woman nodded and grinned. The woman working the counter promptly provided the two youths with chocolate baked bread, who happily ate them in peace. The elderly woman then looked around the establishment, noticing an unfamiliar face in the crowd. She took it upon herself to introduce herself to the stranger.

"Hello there," the elderly woman said amicably, with a smile that brought such warmth.

Not initially noticing the woman, Hera was a bit startled by her presence, but quickly followed up with a friendly hello.

"I haven't seen you here before. Are you visiting our town?"

"Yes, but just for the day. I'm here to buy supplies, but will have to return to my family soon."

"Ah," the woman said, finding something in common to speak of. "I do know that line very well," she chuckled. "I don't mean to pester, if you'd like to be left alone, but if you'd like the company, I'd be happy to oblige."

Hera nodded at the woman's offer, as the woman happily pulled out a seat beside her and sat down, then glanced over to the children at the bar, who were quietly chatting among themselves and to the woman at the counter. Shortly thereafter, a waitress had come by and placed a hot mug of tea in front of the elderly woman.

"Thank you, Cora," the woman said.

"You're welcome, Miss Chani," she said as she smiled, before returning to her duties.

Turning back to her company, she started speaking.

"I'm sorry, I realized that I hadn't yet introduced myself properly. My name is Jae Chani."

"Hera Syndulla," she nodded.

"You mentioned you had family. Do you have children, Miss Syndulla?"

"Please, Hera is just fine," she mentioned. "And yes, I do. Two. A son and a daughter."

"Ah," the woman said once more. "A blessing, aren't they?"

Hera nodded once more and smiled.

"Those two over there are my grandchildren. My daughter, Rinna, will be meeting us here shortly to pick them up. Wonderful children, but I believe my age is getting to me. My patience and ability to keep up with them isn't what I recall having when I had my own children," she laughed.

Hera nodded in agreement. Though she had never had the opportunity to chase and raise toddlers into teenagers, the idea of handling teenagers themselves were much more testing of her own patience than she had ever imagined.

"So, how old are your little darlings?"

Hera laughed. "They're much older than yours. My daughter is eighteen and my son is sixteen," she admitted.

"Bless. You look so young."

Hera chuckled, "They're adopted."

"Ah, well, bless you anyway, for bringing orphaned children into your home. You're a saint."

Hera blushed at the idea of being praised in that way. "Hardly. Everything happened so quickly with those two. They just unexpectedly became incorporated into our family through unusual circumstances."

The woman placed her hand over Hera's. "However it happened dear, bringing love and support to children who had that stolen from their lives, makes you a wonderful person."

"Thank you," was all Hera could manage to say.

"You seem troubled dear," she asked genuinely.

Hera was taken aback by the woman's accurate observation, but wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Being a mother is difficult," she started, "If you need the ear of a fellow mother, by all means," she offered as she smiled.

Hera considered it, humbled by the woman's offer. She thought about it for a minute, realizing that it probably couldn't hurt to have someone with more experience to talk to. Someone older and wiser. Another mother. Qualities, she felt, was embodied in Jae. However, she wasn't sure how to start, considering their family was in a...unique situation, considering the rebellion and all.

"Thank you, Miss Chani, but I shouldn't burden you with my troubles. We hardly know each other."

"Dear," she said, taking hold of the Twi'lek's hand, "Sometimes you need a village. Here, we all support one another. It's how we survive. Besides," she added, "I haven't had the company of an adult in many hours. Please, feel free to share," she smiled.

Hera chuckled at the idea, as they were approached by a younger woman.

"Mother," she started, placing her hand on the elderly woman's shoulder.

"Oh, Mirian," the woman said, getting up from her seat to hug the woman.

"I'm here to pick up the children. I hope they weren't any more trouble than usual," she said, then glanced at the unfamiliar woman at the table. "Oh, I apologize. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, not at all," Hera responded in a friendly manner.

"Mirian, this is Hera Syndulla. She's visiting our town."

"Pleasure. I hope my mother isn't bothering you," she joked.

Hera chuckled. "Hardly. She's been quite good company actually."

The woman nodded. "Well, I'll let you two be. Thank you for watching over them," she said, as she smiled at her mother.

"My pleasure Miri. I'll see you all again soon."

Mirian nodded once more, then went back to the front of the cafe to collect the children, who were excited to see their mother. They gathered their belongings, bid farewell to their grandmother and left.

"Well then, child. Where were we?"

Hera blushed slightly at the woman's words. Somehow, the elderly woman's demeanor, the way she spoke to Hera, reminded her slightly of her own mother.

Seeing Hera hesitate, she took it upon herself to jog the conversation. As she thought about what to say, she recalled Hera mentioning that her children were teenagers. Jae then recalled a memory of her own daughter at that age, and smiled.

"Teenagers. Such a delicate time. Wouldn't you say?"

Hera looked up at the elderly woman with a bit of confusion.

"It's a time of great confusion, as they try to figure themselves out and how they fit into the world around them, and as they test their role as growing adults," the woman started.

Hera looked down at the table with a bit of remorse, recalling the incidences that both Ezra and Sabine had been forced to endure, and the trials that they had to overcome. Jae came closer to her, placing her hand on her shoulder. 

"I'm sure you're doing the best that you can, and I'm sure they're much better off because of it."

Hera's eyes watered slightly as she thought about the pain the two dealt with, what they still have trouble dealing with, and how much she and Kanan did to bring them to where they are today. She recalled when Ezra first came onboard, when he couldn't care about anyone else but himself, and now, he puts others first before himself, more often than not. She remembered when Sabine was fueled by revenge, blinded by it at times, and now, she learned to give forgiveness, putting her own feelings aside to see the greater good. All attributed to the guidance that both she and Kanan had given.

"Still," she added. "I wish I could do more for them. They're...they carry so much pain from their past, and our...lifestyle doesn't present them with the best opportunity to heal. Sometimes...I wonder if they really are better off with us," she said.

The guilt rolled off of Hera in a way that never had before. These thoughts, these reservations...she's never revealed them to anyone. Ever. Not even Kanan. Somehow, this woman had some way of pulling it out of her without even trying.

The woman smiled at Hera. "I believe every parent feels that way, my dear. We never know if what we do will be good enough for them, and we wonder if they would be better in someone else's hands. No one, and nothing is perfect. We cannot control everything, nor can we undo the past. What we can do is be there for them now, and do the best we can to support them, and help them grow into responsible adults."

Hera smiled internally. Those words were words she longed to hear, but never had, and never knew she needed. The tears in her eyes escaped, slowly streaming down her face. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, embarrassed at it all.

The woman felt pity for the younger Twi'lek. She knew the difficulties of raising young ones, not to mention the added pressure of dealing with outside forces that challenge the day to day, such as the Empire. She knew, deep down, that this young woman was doing her best, and that _she_ was the one that needed the support this time. _She_ was the unsung hero.

Jae reached out, gently touching Hera's chin, and had her turn to face her.

"Hera," she said with a bit of seriousness in her voice.

Hera put down her hands from her face, and looked at the woman. Jae, wiped away the tears from the younger woman's face, then held the woman's cheek.

"Hera," she said again, in a much gentler tone. "You are an amazing woman. I am sure of it. You are a savior to those children. Do not ever doubt yourself. I can feel your love for them, and I'm sure they appreciate you more than they can ever say. You saved them from their demise. You are their hero."

The woman said every word with sincerity. She stared into the teary eyes of the Twi'lek before her, before she herself, formed tears of her own. Without any further reservation, she pulled the woman close into an embrace, feeling that Hera needed the comfort.

Hera could no longer contain her emotions. The tightening in her chest released as it poured out into the elderly woman's shoulder, in soft, quiet sobs. She thanked the force for having met Jae, and for giving her the confidence and assurance that hadn't realized she needed. She closed her eyes and melted into the woman's embrace, imagining that Jae was her own mother, believing that she too, would have been as supportive and as proud of what she had done with Ezra and Sabine.


	9. A United Rebel Family

Kallus was enroute to pickup Hera, Kanan and Zeb, as promised. On the way back to the Ghost, each shared their updates on anything of relevance. 

Kallus spoke of Sabine, of her current state, which was practically back to normal, thanks to Ezra, and what he expressed what she had originally been bothered about. However, other than the newly provided information regarding Death Watch and Carlac, the rest did not surprise anyone else. They knew about the close bond that Ezra and Sabine shared, so it was not unexpected that Sabine's mood was shifted due to Ezra. They also knew of Sabine's difficulty with ties to her past, particularly with her birth mother, which they already knew was tied to Death Watch.

Kanan echoed his findings regarding the aggressiveness to Mandalorians from the locals, supporting the facts that Kallus had provided. His insights gave a bit more depth to the story though, bringing in personal stories of how much the people suffered at their hands. At the end, everyone agreed that although their treatment towards Sabine was distasteful, they understood their view.

Upon returning to the ship, Chopper was found beeping furiously at Hera, for having him attempt to recalibrate their flight system, by bypassing certain malfunctioning systems. She apologized, but reinforced that he needed to do so, considering she hadn't found everything that they needed to make full repairs.

The other men began loading the supplies back into the ship. While doing so, Zeb nudged Kallus from behind, discretely showing him a large bottle of distilled liquor, one that he was assured by the locals, contained an overwhelming amount of alcohol. It was enough so, that the seller even joked that taking a whiff of the stuff could induce a drunken stupor.

Hera, recalling the conversation with the elderly woman at the cafe, went directly to check on the two younger members. She found them in Sabine's room, joking and laughing as the girl sketched on her pad. She knocked on the door to announce her presence.

"Hey mom! Welcome back!" Ezra said in excitement, as he had already been riled up from his conversations with Sabine.

"Thank you Ezra," she said. "Sabine, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine mom," the girl said sincerely. Feeling the need to look up at the Twi'lek, she did so, reinforcing her response. "Really. I'm okay," she smiled genuinely.

Much to her relief, Hera nodded happily.

From the cargo hold, Kanan called over the ship's comm system, requesting everyone meet in the cargo hold. Confused by the request, everyone slowly made their way to where the Jedi was.

"What's going on Kanan?" Zeb asked in confusion.

"I have another game we can play," he said as a childish grin formed on his face.

"For force's sake, Kanan. Can we stop with the games already?" complained the Lasat.

Kanan crossed his arms and raised a brow to Zeb, squarely saying, "No."

Everyone laughed.

"What's the game, Kanan?" Ezra curiously asked.

"Perhaps game wasn't the correct term. Activity is more like it."

"Okay...so what's the activity?" asked Sabine.

"Get dressed and come outside. I'll tell you about it there."

A moment later, everyone had done so, following the Jedi outside. Ezra nearly started complaining about going out into the cold again, until Sabine nudged him to comply. 

"Come on, brother Syndulla," she joked, earning a giddy laugh from the boy, as he nodded.

* * *

Everyone eventually reconvened outside, where Kanan stood on top of a large hillside. He waved them over. Zeb, rolled his eyes at the idea of having to do so.

Once they had gotten to the top, Kanan was grinning ear-to-ear, as he stood beside several large, black, circular objects.

"Uh...wwwhat are ttthose?" Ezra stuttered.

"The rest of the day's activity," he said. He looked at the crew and focused on Sabine, the only other member who also started to grin from ear-to-ear. "Looks like someone else is excited."

"Yes!" exclaimed Sabine, who ran towards one of the objects, and picked it up over her head.

Hera walked over beside Kanan, confusion written all over her face. "Love, what is all this?"

"A little way to brighten everyone's mood," he smiled. "And don't worry, I didn't spend a single credit. All of this was courtesy of a man I had met back in town," he said, reassuring Hera that he didn't squander the crew's savings on frivolous items.

Sabine rushed back towards the group.

"I'm guessing you know what to do with these?" he grinned to the girl.

"You betcha."

She proceeded towards Ezra and urged him to do the same.

"Wwwhat dddo I dddo?" he shivered.

"Ez, just grab one of them and do what I do."

Ezra trusted in her judgement and followed suit.

"Okay, just follow me."

Sabine proceeded to lay the object on the ground, on top of the steep hill, carefully sitting herself within the circular opening and tossing her legs over the side. 

"It's called snow tubing, Ez. You'll love it," she said, as she pushed Ezra off the side of the hill, as soon as he settled himself in.

The boy screamed initially, startled by the sudden rush of flying down the hill, but then his voice tapered into laughter and excitement.

"Whhooooo hooo!" he cried.

Sabine followed suit, screaming out in joy as she followed him down the hill.

Kallus and Zeb stared blankly at Kanan.

"There aren't enough here for all of us, so we'll have to share," the Jedi said, motioning to the remaining two tubes.

"That's alright. I think I'll pass on this one," Zeb said, unenthusiastic about the entire idea.

Kallus nudged Zeb roughly, claiming that he was a spoil sport for not partaking in the activity.

"What? Don't tell me you're actually considering taking part in this childish game?" he huffed.

Kallus scoffed. "What makes this childish, compared to how you and Ezra at constantly at each other's throats?" he said with skepticisim of the Lasat's lame excuse.

"So, you're saying you'd ride one of these things?" he asked in disbelief.

Kallus gave out a small chuckle. "I would."

"Hah, by all means then, Special Agent Kallus," Zeb mocked.

"Former Special Agent Kallus, Captain Orrelios," he smirked, handing Zeb one of the tubes.

"Hah. I never agreed to this," he said, refusing to accept the object.

"Are you afraid of falling?" he teased.

"No. I just think it's stupid."

"Ah. Noted. You're afraid."

"I never said that."

"Your refusal and your face, says it all."

"Does not."

"Does to."

Hera and Kanan laughed, watching the two men squabble like children, as Sabine and Ezra made another pass down the hillside, ignoring everyone else as they continued to have fun racing each other down the hill.

Realizing Zeb wouldn't budge otherwise, Kallus came up with an idea, which caused him to bear a devious grin.

"I have an thought," he claimed. "Let's turn this into a drinking game. Seems that'll suit us better anyway."

Zeb chuckled. "Now you have my attention."

"We race. Last one to the bottom takes a shot of your newly acquired beverage."

Zeb grinned. "That's more like it!" he said enthusiastically, grabbing the tube out of Kallus' hands.

As they prepped themselves onto their ride, Kallus called Kanan over to help officiate the race. The Jedi acknowledged, and stood between both men, who were seated in their tubes. Kanan then mentioned that they should start down the hill on his mark. Zeb focused on the bottom of the hill, somewhat hesitant on sliding down on something he knew nothing about, nor how to control. Unfortunately, the look of fear on the Lasat's face wasn't exactly discrete. Kallus saw right through it, which caused him to glance over and wink to Kanan. His eyes then motioned from Zeb to the direction of the hill. Kanan caught wind right away, and was definitely onboard.

"Okay boys. Ready?" the Jedi asked, standing with his hand between the two.

Both men acknowledged in unison, but before Kanan could say another word, he used the force to suddenly shove the Lasat down the hill without warning. The unexpected shove brought about a frightened yell, that almost was too high pitched to be recognized as Zeb's. Both men laughed hysterically, as did the two younger crew members, as they watched Zeb scream and lose control over his tube, that zig-zagged down the hill. As he frantically tried to slow down, his foot got caught in front of the tube, which dug into the snow and launched him forward, causing him to tumble about a meter towards the bottom of the hill. That last motion caused everyone to burst out in uncontrollable laughter. Ezra and Sabine rolled on the ground, grabbing at their stomachs as they lost it. Kanan and Kallus nearly broke out in tears. Chopper gave out a hearty chuckle as he watched from the ramp of the Ghost, and even Hera couldn't hold back her laughter, as she tried to suppress them behind her fist.

Zeb spewed out a string of curses, which further gave the youths more reason to laugh. He glared at the two, then shouted up to the two conniving friends at the top of the hill.

"Kallus! That'll cost you!"

Kallus shouted back down the hill, in between gasps for air and laughter. 

"Zeb," he chuckled, "That wasn't my doing. I'm not to blame," he laughed again.

"You and Kanan are in for it," he yelled back.

"Hey!" Kanan shouted, between his laughter, "I'm not any part of your drinking deal," he managed to say.

"Never said anything about drinking," he sneered, as he stomped his way back up the hill.

"Love, you're setting a bad example for Ezra," she said, finally composing herself to criticize him for his use of the force in an improper way.

Kanan settled down a bit then smiled at her. "Hopefully, he didn't see me use the force," he winked.

As he saw Zeb from the corner of his eye, Kallus yelled out to Kanan, "See ya Jarrus!" before he sped down the hill.

Realizing Kallus' sudden departure, he looked around Hera to see Zeb about an arm's length away.

"Hey, buddy," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh, you think it'd be like that," he said. 

Kanan slowly crept away, unsure of what the Lasat had in mind. Zeb stepped around Hera, and she giggled at what Kanan didn't see. Behind his back, Zeb held a large snowball, grasped firmly in his hand. Zeb's hand was larger than all theirs, so the sheer size of it was much larger than one would ever expect to be thrown at them. At that size, one would be sure to be knocked down to the ground.

The Jedi took the risk and quickly turned away, hoping to elude the Lasat, but the minute he did so, Zeb threw the snowball at such force, causing it to fly through the air quickly. By the time Kanan had sensed it, it was too late. It hit him mid-turn, and caught him on the side of the head, which knocked him off-balance and caused his footing to slip as he tumbled down the hill. Laughter ensued once more for all parties. This time, Zeb was part of it.

The rest of the day continued with everyone's child-like side coming through, for just this moment. A time where all their cares were tossed aside. At the end of their fun, they were all found huddled at the bottom of the hill, surrounding a makeshift campfire, laughing at the events that transpired.

Ezra no longer shivered. He was kept warm by the physical exertion of the hill, the laughter, the fire, and the hot cocoa.

Sabine too, kept warm, surrounded by the ones she loved, and the ones who loved her.

Kallus, was kept exceptionally warm by the acceptance of his new family, combined with the laughter, physical exertion of the playfulness at the hill, and the copious amounts of shots he had taken, as he lost majority of the tube races to Zeb. 

Zeb, found warmth too with the exceptionally strong liquor that he shared with his best friend, Kallus.

Kanan kept warm as he sat by the fire, with his arm around Hera, the love of his life, who leaned in close to his embrace.

Even Chopper, a droid incapable of physically feeling warmth, was content, having his fill of laughter from the taunting, teasing and mocking that happened at the hill, all done without his prompting.

Last but not least, Hera, found solace. The warmth in her heart radiated as she took in the sight of her family. Feeling the warm embrace of Kanan, she leaned in closer to him. She sat as she heard what she rarely ever heard, an almost silent hum from Chopper, which she took as a sign of his thankfulness of being rescued that day in Ryloth, and who now is able to partake in the activities of this odd bunch of rebels. She watched the two grown men laugh and joke in drunken stupor. She glanced at Ezra and Sabine who bonded over their hot cocoa, and force knows what. And now, with newfound confidence, she stared at them, admiring the two more now than ever, as tears threatened to escape.

In a moment of silence, Ezra spoke up.

"You know. I still hate the cold, with a passion I can't ever describe," he started. "But, these past few days, made me love Carlac, and made me thankful for having you all in my life."

Everyone smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. Ezra then raised his glass and continued to speak.

"I know you all agree and feel the same. And it's all thanks to Hera, who started it all."

The boy looked over in Hera's direction. The unexpected salute to her took her by surprise, as a single tear ran down her cheek as she smiled.

"To Hera. To Family. To Clan Syndulla. At aliit!" he toasted.

Without any dispute to any of the words the boy uttered, everyone toasted and repeated the exact same words in unison.

Fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone who's continued to follow along. 
> 
> It was a challenge coming up with each story daily and posting consistently, but was a great exercise, and definitely fun to write. Hope you all enjoyed it as well.
> 
> Happy Holidays!
> 
> (For anyone interested, I'll be back to writing the rest of my other series most hopefully after the start of the new year.)


End file.
